


Where Falls the Sun

by EaManning



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Ben has anger issues, Drama, F/M, Rey has had a hard life, Senator Leia Organa, Slow Burn, mentions of child abuse, phasma is a nosy neighbor, rey has baggage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-04-05 08:08:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14039898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EaManning/pseuds/EaManning
Summary: "Her name is Rey, and that's really all I know. She comes in sometimes, always toward the end of the dinner shift. She never takes a bed, though I'll never understand why. Poor thing's been coming in here for the better part of a year. Can't get a thing out of her, other than her name."Ben reluctantly volunteers at a homeless shelter, and his life will never be the same.





	1. First Sighting

**Author's Note:**

> I got inspired, and this is what came out. Hope you like!

_Chapter One_

 

“So explain to me again exactly why you need me?”

 

Ben Solo rolled his eyes as he met his mother’s hard gaze through the mirror. He winced as his fingers twitched yet again as he tried to finish tying the plain black tie his father had reluctantly given him. The loose floorboard near the door squeaked as Leia took a step in his direction, but a quick glare from Ben stopped her in her tracks.

 

“I’ve gone over this already. Your recent…activities have cast you in a negative light. You need to show the world that your past indiscretions are not who you are.”

 

“Or you need to showcase me in a good light so your constituents can see you didn’t completely fail as a mother.”

 

He finished his work on the tie, glared at his reflection one final time, then turned to his mother who, he noticed sourly, had not bothered to correct him. She crossed her arms, looking as tired as he’d ever seen her, though he knew that would change the moment they both stepped outside. Her graying hair was pulled back in her signature bun and her light pink pantsuit gave the impression that she was fashionable while maintaining the professionalism her job as senator required. As such, she’d forced him to appear equally professional in a suit and tie despite the fact that volunteering at the homeless shelter did not require it.

 

Ben had every intention of brushing silently past her, but her hand on his arm stopped him. It felt like knives stabbing into his skin.

 

“Someday you’ll be grateful for this. You’ll never get a job with a criminal record, even with my recommendations and the family name.” She reached up to place her hands on either side of his face, and for the first time that day he looked into her eyes. He hated the fact that those eyes still brought him comfort and reassurance despite the fact that he was twenty-seven years old. “I’m doing this because I love you. There’s no other reason.”

 

Ben shrugged out of her grasp, not quite ready to forgive her. “I’m not a kid anymore, Mother. I don’t need you to protect me anymore.”

 

As he walked out of the room he heard his mother’s hardened voice behind him, sounding as cold as he’d ever heard it while directed at him. “Then stop acting like a child. Prove to me you can take care of yourself and stay out of trouble.”

 

Despite his declaration that he was no longer a child, Ben certainly felt like one as he slammed the front door shut behind him.

 

* * *

 

 

The shelter on the corner of town smelled like urine and stale air. One whiff was all it took to make Ben regret not putting up more of a fight when his mother told him how he’d be spending his day. He didn’t bother hiding his disgust as one of his mother’s bodyguards opened the door of the black car that had shuttled him to this dump. He straightened his suit, feeling immensely out of place, and waited for Leia to emerge.

 

Part of him hoped she would take one look at the rubble that passed for a shelter and change her mind, but he knew her too well for that. The worse off a place appeared, the stronger her desire to help grew. Ben would be lucky if this was his only visit.

 

“Come, Ben. The sooner we start, the sooner it’s over.”

 

Ben grit his teeth to refrain from replying, and silently followed his mother and her bodyguards into the shelter.

 

The middle-aged woman at the front desk looked from her pile of papers and beamed at them as they approached. “Madam Senator! This is such an honor!”

 

Leia dutifully held out her right hand and shook the woman’s hand, immediately donning her politician persona. It was all Ben could do not to roll his eyes. He was spared the chance of having to when the woman turned her attention to him.

 

“And you must be Ben. I’ve heard so much about you.”

 

Ben narrowed his eyes, ready to snap at her. _All you need to do is turn on a fucking TV and you’ll know everything there is to know about me._

 

“From Senator Organa-Solo,” the woman continued. If she’d noticed the dark look that had passed his eyes, she didn’t let on. “You’re practically all she talked about while we arranged all this.”

 

As she led the group into the kitchen, she introduced herself as Amilyn Holdo. She’d been running the shelter for the past ten years and looked at the people who passed through as her charges. Ben figured she fancied herself as a bleeding heart type, much like his mother, which was why they seemed to be getting along so well. Ben didn’t care, so he quickly tuned out of the conversation. All he wanted was to do his time and get out as quickly as possible.

 

He started a bit as Amilyn Holdo held out a white apron. When he didn’t immediately take it, she smiled and placed it on the table next to him. “I know you didn’t exactly sign up for this, Mr. Solo, but this can be rewarding for those who make the most of it.”

 

She turned and walked away before he could say anything in reply. He grabbed the apron, wanting nothing more than to fling it into the nearest trashcan, but a quick look at his mother’s stony glare stopped him. He sighed as he tied the apron on over his suit. He was about to go through the old metal door that led into the dining area when Holdo’s voice stopped him.

 

“We need to take the food in before we can serve it.” Somehow she managed to say it without sounding condescending.

 

“I thought there were people who did that,” Ben snapped as he shuffled over to where the others were gathered. His mother had her apron on as well and, to his dismay, a hairnet covering her bun. At least they hadn’t tried making him wear one of those.

 

“There are, but your mother thought it best if the pair of you were seen bringing it out together,” Holdo replied softly, glancing at Leia for reassurance.

 

“I see. Just some more points for the Organa-Solo Reelection Campaign. Got it.” Ben was satisfied to see Holdo’s cheerfulness dwindle just a bit at that.

 

He accepted the black pot holders that one of the volunteer cooks reluctantly held out to him, and used them to wordlessly lift the large pot of what looked to be vegetable soup. He followed his mother and her army of bodyguards into the dining room where, he noticed with mounting horror, a line of people had gathered.

 

Ben somehow resisted the urge to wrinkle his nose at the sight of so many people who were in desperate need of clean clothes and a shower. Perhaps that would have been more helpful, rather than a free meal of soup, turkey sandwiches, and salad. At least if they were handing out clean clothes, the homeless population could use the showers that undoubtedly resided somewhere in this hovel and go out and find jobs. It would certainly be a better use of his time. Wouldn’t the prospect of free food just give these people more excuses to accept their lot in life?

 

By the time the reporters and cameras arrived, Ben’s arm was already becoming sore from filling countless bowls of soup. Some of the people in line mumbled “thanks” or tried to meet his eye, but Ben refused to look or talk to any of them. The only times he looked up and smiled were when his mother told him to for the sake of the cameras. He knew she wasn’t pleased about his attitude, but he was beyond caring. She could make him come here to get some free character points, but she couldn’t make him look happy about it. In the end, it was his life, and sooner or later she would just have to accept that.

 

Ben didn’t know how much time had passed by the time his batch of soup was finally gone. By the time one pot would empty, one of the kitchen workers would bring out another and he would have to start all over again. He was convinced that some of the people were coming back for more, but no one else seemed to notice and if they did they didn’t say anything, so Ben followed their lead and ignored it. As long as his fill was lessening, he really didn’t care.

 

He was just about to bring his empty pot into the kitchen when the now familiar sound of the door to the dining room opening caught his attention. This time it brought him pleasure because he could finally say there was no more food and he couldn’t serve anyone. He turned around to say exactly that, but the sight in front of him stopped him cold.

 

It was a child. A girl, more specifically, and even at that he could see she wasn’t exactly a child when he looked closer. The girl couldn’t be older than twenty, though it was hard to be sure with the layers of dirt and grime that covered her face and clothes. If what she was wearing could even be called clothes anymore. Her brown jacket was ripped at more than one seam and her pants were huge and hung off her skinny form so much that clothespins were required to keep them in place. The only thing that appeared remotely new and clean on the girl were her black boots, but even they had a layer of mud on the bottoms of them. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in what Ben thought at first was a bun like his mother’s, but upon closer examination he saw three buns, one on top of the other in one of the strangest hairdos he’d seen on someone.

 

“Am I…too late?” the girl panted, looking desperately from Ben to Leia, and then to the cameras and reporters who were all packing up to go home. Immediately her expression darkened, and for some reason she focused back on Ben.

 

“I think there might be more…” he started to say, surprising everyone in the room, most of all him. He hadn’t kept his disdain for the job a secret, but now he seemed almost eager to serve one more person. He only hoped his mother couldn’t see right through him.

 

“No, forget it. I don’t want your charity,” she all but spat at him then turned to head back for the door. She left as quickly as she’d appeared.

 

“Who was that?” Leia asked, looking disconcerted at Amilyn Holdo, who had entered from the kitchen just as the girl began to make her departure.

 

Holdo sighed as she regarded the front door, as though she could see through it to the girl who’d just left. “Her name is Rey, and that’s really all I know. She comes in sometimes, but always toward the end of the dinner shift. She never takes a bed, though I’ll never understand why. Poor thing’s been coming in here for the better part of a year. Can’t get a thing out of her, other than her name.”

 

“Shame she ran off so suddenly. Ben was going to see about finding some extra food for her. She looked as though she hadn’t eaten all day.” Ben could still hear the concern in his mother’s voice. He knew she’d camp out at the shelter for days if it meant getting the girl something to eat. If she didn’t have other things to do, which she most certainly did.

 

Holdo shrugged helplessly and gathered some of the dirty plates that had been left behind on the fold-out tables. “Probably hasn’t. Like most of the people who come in here, if they don’t get a meal here, they don’t eat. I hate turning people away, but we only have so much. It’s the hard part of what I do. That and sending people back outside when we run out of beds. This building is only so big.”

 

Ben followed his mother and Holdo back into the kitchen with the dirty pots and pans he’d picked up. He helped the workers get the rest, and was more than happy to leave the washing up to them. His mother’s job and his were over, and he was more than happy to put this sorry place behind him.

 

As he and his mother were driven back to their homes, he was dismayed to find that his thoughts had drifted back to the girl. Why had she seemed so nervous when she spotted the cameras? The sight of him seemed to piss her off, and he’d racked his brain for any instant where they might have crossed paths. He couldn’t think of any. He was certain that if he’d run in to the girl at any point in his life, he would have remembered it.

 

Though with his past and the indiscretions he’d pulled lately (his mother’s word, not his), his certainty did not exactly count for much.

 

As he settled himself into bed later that night, he promised himself that he would think no more on any part of that day, especially the girl. He needed to get his life back on track, and obsessing over some homeless girl he was relatively certain he’d never met was the last way he would achieve that.


	2. The Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben makes a split-second decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kind words and the kudos! I'm so glad everyone seems to be enjoying it so far. The mystery only deepens with this chapter.

_Chapter Two_

 

“So how was yesterday? Bloody awful?” Ben’s mate Hux asked as he slid another beer across the counter.

 

“You have no idea.” Ben gratefully downed half the bottle and inwardly sighed as the familiar rush of alcohol filled his body. He knew if his mother walked in and saw him she’d likely disown him. After all she’d done for him yesterday, the last thing she expected was to find her son in his favorite bar, talking to the man she blamed for getting him into the mess he currently found himself in. It was hardly Ben’s fault that his former roommate and current best (and only) friend worked in a bar and gave him free drinks whenever he came in. _The First Order Brewery_ had been in Hux’s family for three generations, and he wasn’t about to give it up just because Ben was having trouble knowing when to stop.

 

“What exactly was the purpose of it, anyway?” Hux went on as he began mixing a long island iced tea for a patron who Ben had seen come in a few times. He didn’t know the man’s name, not that he cared enough to ask.

 

“To show that I can give back to the community and do more than get into fights and beat people up.”

 

Hux shrugged as he accepted the money for the long island iced tea then turned back to Ben, who had finished his third free beer and was debating whether or not to ask for a fourth. “I don’t know, mate. Just seems a bit dodgy to me. It looked like it was more to do with your mum than with you.”

 

Ben had no reply for that. He knew that his mom had set the whole thing up for him, but he also knew that his mom wasn’t one to pass up an opportunity get an edge on her opponent for the upcoming election. She was still the front-runner, though her lead wasn’t as big as she’d like. But just because she had ulterior motives didn’t mean she didn’t care.

 

Instead of saying all that, Ben just shrugged, wanting to be done with the conversation. “It’s over now. That’s all that matters.”

 

“I’ll drink to that. Speaking of which, you want another one?”

 

Ben knew he shouldn’t. He really needed to get a handle on his drinking. It was a wonder he’d talked Leia out of putting him in rehab, though he knew if she spotted him drunk she wouldn’t hesitate to make good on her threat. He’d promised he would stop, and he did plan on making good on that promise. The problem was that every time he thought about the events of the previous day, the mysterious girl was always at the forefront.

 

Ben hadn’t confided in his friend just how disturbed he’d been when he’d seen her. He had felt something he couldn’t quite identify, and seeing her small frame hidden under the layers of dirty clothes and grime made him feel….well, it made him feel. And he hadn’t been prepared for that. He couldn’t tell Hux how he’d nearly been driven by an urge to go out and look for her. He’d even thought about going back to the shelter in the hopes of seeing her again. It was ridiculous because she certainly hadn’t felt anything other than hate for him, which he supposed was the real reason he’d spent the past twenty-four hours obsessing over her. He wanted to know what he could have possibly done to make her hate him so much when he couldn’t remember ever having met her.

 

So he’d kept it all to himself. He didn’t have the strength to bring it all up, and even if he did he knew Hux would never understand. If possible, the Brit seemed to have an even firmer stance on the homeless population than he did. It was part of the reason why Hux had been so unsupportive when he’d heard what Ben had been forced to do to make up for his actions.

 

Ben turned down the beer Hux held out to him, claiming he had an early day tomorrow. It wasn’t exactly a lie. His mother wanted him to come over to the family home to go over some numbers about how the population had viewed his community service. As much as he didn’t want to, at least it gave him a good reason to say goodbye to Hux, who he suddenly did not want to be around anymore.

 

“Good luck, mate. Hopefully this will all be over soon.”

 

Ben nodded, said his goodbyes, then headed out of _The First Order_.

 

October nights in California were not particularly cold, but it was unseasonably cool and Ben wished he’d thought to bring along a jacket. Of course that made his thoughts return yet again to the homeless girl. He found himself wondering if she’d managed to find some shelter against the cool weather. Had she made it to the homeless shelter in time to get a meal? Or had she been late again? He didn’t think her meager frame could handle going more than two days without food.

 

Making a split second decision, Ben stopped into the grocery store that was across the street from Hux’s bar and bought a box of granola bars, some bananas, and a case of water. As he paid for them, he noticed that the cashier was giving him curious looks out of the corner of her eye. She’d no doubt seen the news about him volunteering at the homeless shelter. He stopped himself from snapping at her, thanking her instead once he’d paid for his purchases.

 

He put the groceries in the backseat of his car, then began to drive around town, passing his apartment complex in the process. The sun had set an hour ago, so he knew it was past the time the shelter stayed open for dinner. If Holdo was to be believed, the girl…Rey, he reminded himself…never took a bed, so he knew she wouldn’t be at the shelter. What could possibly be a better option for her? She went to the shelter for food, so why didn’t she stay to sleep? None of the few possible solutions he thought of made any sense to him.

 

As he continued driving around town, it suddenly dawned on him just how many homeless people seemed to live in the small district of Alderaan, California. It was a small suburb only a few hours away from Los Angeles, yet it seemed to house as many homeless citizens as middle-class citizens. There didn’t seem to be an age restriction, either. Those he’d seen so far had ranged in age from young children out with what he hoped were their parents, to elderly men and women who were camped out in alleys and underneath trees and benches. He almost felt bad for driving past them in his relatively new BMW, but he only had room in his mind for one person in particular.

 

One thing that was made obvious to him as he continued his drive around town, past the seemingly never-ending population of homeless, was that finding Rey would prove to be the same as finding a needle in a haystack. Maybe she had found shelter for the night and his efforts were all for nothing.

 

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind did he see movement up ahead that made his blood go cold.

 

He’d stumbled upon a narrow alley between two restaurants that had appeared deserted at first glance, but as he drove up to it he saw two figures. One was tall, overweight, and unmistakably male. He towered over the second, smaller figure who Ben recognized instantly as Rey. The man was dressed in clean clothes. As Ben drove closer, he was surprised to find that the man’s clothes almost looked brand new. He didn’t have time dwell on that strange fact, however, because no sooner had he had the observation did the fat, cleanly dressed man punch Rey in the face.

 

“Hey!” Ben was out of the car before he knew what he was doing. Somehow he’d had the sense to park on the side of the street, but he nearly got run over as he crossed the street, barely noticing any of the cars blaring their horns at him in his haste to get to Rey and her assailant.

 

The man wasn’t finished. Once Rey went down in a surprised heap, the man began kicking her, and it didn’t seem to matter where. Ben continued to shout at the pair, but his shouts fell on deaf ears as the man’s boot made contact with Rey’s stomach, torso, legs and, Ben noticed without mounting anger, face.

 

“I said stop!” Ben snapped as he finally made it to the pair. He pushed the man as hard as he could, knocking him to the ground. He was pleased to see that he’d had enough strength to push the man into the wall behind him. He hit his head on the hard brick as he went down. Ben was about to help Rey to her feet, but he was stopped at the sensation of being pushed to the ground.

 

“I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you just made a huge mistake,” Rey’s assailant snapped. He grabbed Ben’s jacket and pulled him up. He raised his fist and punched Ben square in the nose. The force of it was enough to knock him back to the ground, but he wasn’t done.

 

He got back to his feet, feeling nothing but adrenaline as he raised his own fist and successfully knocked it into the man’s cheek. His hand instantly smarted, not quite healed from the last fight he had, not quite a week ago. But he barely noticed the pain as he went back to the larger man, getting in two more quick jabs to the face. The man was thrown off guard enough for Ben to get in some kicks. Once the man was on the ground, struggling to get up, he delivered the final blow that rendered Rey’s attacker unconscious.

 

Ben didn’t waste any time. He returned back to Rey’s crumpled form and panicked for a moment when he didn’t immediately see her chest rise and fall. Her clothes were so big on her that it made checking for breaths difficult, but he sighed in relief when he heard her labored breath. Like her attacker, she was also unconscious, but she wasn’t dead.

 

Ben’s body made the decision before his brain could catch up. Despite his injuries, he picked the girl up from the ground, quickly noticing just how little effort he needed. She was nothing more than skin and bones. It was a miracle the man’s assaults hadn’t done her in.

 

He hurried back the way he’d come. This time as he crossed the street he was careful not to get in the way of any cars. Not that it mattered since there were no cars to look out for. It made what he was about to do that much easier.

 

He fished the keys out of his pocket, which was no easy feat with the burden he was carrying, and gently laid the unconscious girl across the backseat. He impatiently tossed his earlier purchases to the floor in his haste to clear a space for the girl to rest.

 

Once that was taken care of, he did a quick survey of his surroundings, pleased to see that the area was still empty. The last thing he needed was for someone to think he was kidnapping a girl. His damaged reputation would never be able to come back from that. He was also pleased to see that Rey’s attacker was where he’d left him, though he knew it would only be a matter of time before the man regained consciousness. Ben had no intention of sticking around and waiting for that to happen.

 

He quickly got in the driver’s seat, took one last look to make sure Rey was still breathing, then started the car and drove back to his apartment, hoping like hell he hadn’t just screwed up his life once and for all.


	3. Home Sweet Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben takes Rey to his apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for the support! Honestly, it makes writing this worthwhile. Another familiar character enters the fold. Can't wait to see what everyone thinks.

_Chapter Three_

 

_What have I done? What have I done?_ The mantra repeated itself incessantly inside his head as he continued his drive back to the apartment. His heart beat wildly inside his chest and he could feel sweat forming along his brow and under his arms. His body smarted where the unnamed thug had hit him, though the pain was strongest in his hands. They still hadn’t quite recovered from the fight that had landed him in this mess. Only pure adrenaline kept his grip steady as he continued on his course.

 

Occasionally, Ben glanced in his rearview mirror at the girl lying across his backseat. She was still unconscious, though he didn’t know if he felt relieved by that or not. If she woke up in his car, she might panic and assume the worst. Would he let her out of the car if she demanded it of him? If it meant she’d go to the police and report him as a kidnapper when it wasn’t true, screwing up his life past the point of no return? Of course, if he refused to let her out of the car, wouldn’t that technically make him a kidnapper? His head swam with thoughts he didn’t know what to do with. All that mattered was getting her home before any of that had a chance of happening.

 

When he parked in his designated spot back at the apartment complex a few minutes later, his thoughts turned to his next obstacle. How would he get Rey inside without anyone noticing? A quick glance at his phone told him it was nine-fifteen. Late enough that most people would be home, but still early enough that residents would still be trickling in. He was about to open his door and get out when another car pulled in. Ben held his breath, suddenly paranoid that the man he’d left behind had somehow followed him, but he released it a second later. It was only the old man who lived in the apartment below his.

 

Once the man disappeared from sight, Ben steeled his nerves and got out. Rey was still out cold, so it made picking her up and carrying her that much easier. He cradled her carefully in his arms, hit the lock button on his car keys, then somehow managed to maneuver them into his pocket without dropping his burden.

 

Ben definitely did not consider himself to be a religious man, but he prayed to all the gods he could think of as he slowly made his way inside the apartment building. The lobby was deserted, which meant the guard currently stationed at the door had taken a bathroom break. Normally this would irritate him, but now he was only grateful as he made his way across the lobby to the elevator bay without interruption.

 

There was no way he was going to carry the girl up ten flights of stairs to his upper level apartment. There would be too many opportunities to encounter someone and he still did not have a cover story if his luck broke and he ran into someone. Plus, he didn’t think his aching body could handle her weight for that long. She was skinny, but she was still a fully-grown human.

 

The elevator dinged its arrival and Ben braced himself to be met with someone, but when the doors opened he saw that the elevator was empty. He turned to step inside the elevator sideways so that he didn’t knock the girl into the frame, then punched the button for the tenth floor with his hand, immediately cursing as it caused his hand to flare in even more pain than it already was. He nearly dropped Rey as his hand continued to spasm, but he managed to hold on to her.

 

The ride seemed to go on for an eternity. As they passed the fifth floor Ben’s heart nearly stopped when he felt Rey begin to stir in his arms. She moaned softly, though her eyes remained closed. Ben didn’t know if she was beginning to come to or if she was simply dreaming, but he prayed she stayed under just long enough for him to get her to the safety of his apartment. He was under no delusions that she wouldn’t scream if she found herself in the arms of a stranger, carried to an unknown destination.

 

The doors dinged open once they reached the tenth floor, and Ben wasted no time exiting and making his way as quickly and carefully as he could down the bright hallway to his unit.

 

“Hey, Ben! Another long night?”

 

The words stopped him cold. He should have known _she_ would be roaming the halls.

 

He braced himself, not knowing what else to do, as he slowly turned around to face the unnaturally tall blond. Phasma Parnassos had once been one of the most successful female wrestlers of all time. She’d been forced to quit due to an unfortunate leg injury a few years ago, but she hadn’t let retirement stop her from intimidating everyone around her. She was only a few inches taller than Ben, but she made those inches feel like feet as she used her full height to feel taller than she really was. Ben never let the brooding female intimidate him, which turned out to be a mistake because she seemed to admire him for it and never kept her feelings for him a secret.

 

“Hey, Phasma. I’d love to stay and chat but I’m a little busy at the moment,” Ben said as casually as he could, wincing as Phasma locked her stony gaze on the girl in his arms.

 

“I can see that,” she said dryly, taking a step in his direction. Ben forced himself not to take a step back. It would only cause her curiosity to grow. “Who is she?”

 

Ben didn’t notice the hint of jealousy in Phasma’s voice and was overcome by a sudden desire to set Rey down and throw the towering blond down the stairs. He took a breath to fight back his mounting anger and said the first thing that came to mind: “She’s my cousin.”

 

Phasma raised an eyebrow, and Ben was relieved to see that some of the jealousy had left her voice as she said, “Really? I can’t remember you ever talking about a cousin.”

 

“Yeah, well…she’s just visiting and at the moment not feeling too well, as you can probably see.”

 

“She looks like she just got her ass handed to her.”

 

Ben had no good answer for that, so he began to turn back around in the direction of his apartment. “Like I said. Not feeling too well. I’ll see you later.”

 

“You need any help?” He heard Phasma call from behind him, but he didn’t bother with a reply as he made his way to number 1066. He winced as he shifted Rey to one arm in order to fish out his key from his pocket, immediately regretting it as his body felt a new stab of pain. He knew Phasma continued to watch him so he made no show of his discomfort, but the moment he and Rey were both safely inside he deposited her carefully on the dark blue sofa in the living room then cried out as his body reacted to the loss of the weight he’d been carrying.

 

His first stop was the kitchen, where he quickly rummaged around in his freezer for an ice pack. He cursed himself when he didn’t find one, and instead took out a bag of frozen vegetables he was relatively sure had been there since he’d moved in more than two years ago. He sat down at his small kitchen table, letting the vegetable bag rest on the sorer of his hands and laid his head down, letting the relief wash over him.

 

The relief was short lived, however, when a soft groan came from the girl he’d left lying on his sofa.

 

Ben raised his head and peered at Rey, who was slowly regaining consciousness. He braced himself, waiting for the moment when she realized she was in an unfamiliar environment and began screaming or crying. But she did neither. He watched as her eyelids fluttered, then tried to struggle open. Her lips parted, but instead of a scream she whispered a word.

 

“A…Atkin?”

 

She tried to struggle her way to an upright position, and that was when the pain of her injuries caught up to her. She cried out, immediately curling into a ball on his couch, and Ben was out of his seat before he had time to think about it.

 

The girl winced with every breath she took, and she lifted a shaking hand to her face, right to the bruise that was beginning to form on her left cheek where the man had punched her. She gasped at the pain the slightest touch brought her, and tears began leaking from her eyes.

 

“Here.”

 

Of all the things Ben imagined himself saying to her when she woke up, ‘ _here’_ had definitely not been one of them. He cursed himself, but there was no going back. He held out the bag of vegetables to her, regretting it when the sudden movement caused her to flinch and startle back, which only seemed to bring her a fresh stab of pain.

 

Rey made no move to take his offering. Instead she stared at his arm, following it with her eyes up to his shoulders, neck, and finally his face.

 

That was when the screaming started.

 

Hating himself for it, Ben rushed to her and covered her mouth with his less pained hand. The last thing he needed was to give Phasma a reason to break through his door and demand to know what was going on. But he didn’t have time to think about that as he felt a sudden sharp stab on the palm of the hand covering the girl’s mouth. He pulled it away, realizing instantly that she must have bitten him.

 

“Help!” The girl shouted, struggling once again to get to her feet. “P-Please!”

 

“Stop!” Ben snapped as he dropped to his knees and brought one hand back across her mouth and the other on the back of her head so she couldn’t struggle away from him. “And don’t even think about biting me again! Just let me explain, okay?”

 

Rey definitely didn’t look convinced, but she nodded once, glaring hatefully at him as he slowly took his hands away.

 

“You were in a fight. Do you remember that?”

 

Though she still glared at him, he could tell she was struggling to remember the events of that night. Her brow pinched together, causing her to wince at the pain even that meager movement seemed to bring her.

 

“The…the last thing I remember is…” More tears fell from the girl’s large brown eyes as she mentally pieced together what had transpired in that alley. She seemed to deflate a little, and when Ben held out the vegetable bag to her again, she accepted it. She raised it slowly to her face and gasped in pain as it made contact with her bruised cheek.

 

“Who was he?” Ben asked after a few minutes stretched by in silence. He didn’t dare get up from where he crouched, lest the girl think he would try to hurt her.

 

But her thoughts seemed to remain back in that alley as she replied softly, “Atkin.”

 

Well, now her first word made a little more sense to him, though it angered him that the first person she thought about was the person who had left her in this condition. “Who’s Atkin?”

 

“He’s…” Rey looked conflicted for a minute before her gaze snapped back to reality and she met his gaze. The hateful glare was back, but it wasn’t as intense as before. “I know you.”

 

Ben sighed, knowing he wouldn’t be getting more answers out of her tonight. He decided not to push her; she’d been through enough already. “We met at the shelter yesterday. I volunteered and you came in late.”

 

“No. I’ve seen you somewhere before. Not at the shelter.”

 

Ben frowned, trying not to wince as he did so. Now that the adrenaline was leaving his system, the pain of his own injuries was starting to catch up to him. “I think I would have remembered meeting you before now.”

 

“No. We…” She trailed off, obviously trying to remember a time Ben was sure didn’t exist. He knew he would have remembered having met this girl before.

 

“It was probably someone who looked like me.” Ben brought himself up to stand upright, which his knees gladly thanked him for. Rey followed his movements and watched him suspiciously as he walked back to the kitchen to retrieve another frozen bag of food out of his freezer.

 

“Are you going to let me go?” She finally asked once he’d settled himself back at the kitchen table.

 

“That depends,” Ben replied tiredly, turning in his chair to face her. “Are you going to run to the cops with some story about how a man kidnapped you off the streets and brought you to his home to recover?”

 

Rey shifted the bag of vegetables to the other side of her face, which, Ben noticed suddenly, was also turning a violent shade of black and blue. This man Atkin, whoever he was, had really done a job on her. “I haven’t decided yet.”

 

“In that case,” Ben said, forcing himself back to his feet. “You’ll just have to stay.”

 

Rey regarded him suspiciously as he held out his hand to her. “What?”

 

“You can sleep on the couch if you want, but it’s not very comfortable and I have a spare room that no one ever uses.”

 

“No thanks. I’m staying here.”

 

“Like I said, you could, but that asshole…”

 

“Atkin,” Rey corrected him sharply.

 

“…did quite a job on you,” Ben continued as though he hadn’t been interrupted. “You’ll be able to leave sooner if you give your body a proper chance to heal, which it won’t have if you keep it so cramped.”

 

“The fastest way for me to heal would be for you to take me to a hospital.”

 

Ben shrugged feigning nonchalance. “We could do that. But then you would have to answer questions about who did this to you and where you were, and something tells me you don’t want that.”

 

Rey glared at him once more, then sighed, looking more defeated than he’d ever seen someone look. “Fine.”

 

Ben felt like an asshole as he watched her struggle through her pain to stand on her feet. He’d been met with a harsh “No!” when he’d offered to help her. Once she’d gotten to her feet she limped on both legs as she followed him into the short hallway that led to both the bedrooms and the bathroom they’d be sharing. He noticed she used the wall for support and ignored any offers of help he gave her.

 

It felt like days had passed when Rey finally made it to the spare bedroom, working her way slowly to the bed. “I have a spare set of pajamas. I’ll be right back with them.”

 

He heard her mumble, “Of course you do,” as he went into his room to retrieve them. They weren’t anything special. A black set of silk pajamas his parents gave him as a Christmas gift back when he was in college. He’d never worn them because he knew his college roommate at the time would have teased him mercilessly for them, and overtime he’d simply forgotten about them. Now he was grateful he’d never had the presence of mind to throw them out because they would be soft on Rey’s skin as she recovered.

 

Ben couldn’t have been gone for longer than a minute, but by the time he returned to the spare room, Rey was curled up in the center of the full-sized bed, fast asleep.

 

He considered waking her. The whole point of moving her off the couch and into the spare room was so she could spread out. But he refrained from doing so. He didn’t have the heart to jolt her out of what little comfort she’d been able to find for herself.

 

Moving as softly as he could, he left the pajamas on the small oak dresser that sat in the far corner of the room, then moved back to the doorway. He took one last look at her slumbering body, then shut off the light and closed the door gently behind him.


	4. Omelets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben get off to an interesting start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have Rey's POV. She finally decided to fill in some blanks, but you'll find that with some answers come more questions. Hope you enjoy! Thanks to everyone who has commented, left kudos, and bookmarked! I really do appreciate it!

_Chapter Four_

Rey woke with a start.

 

The first irrational thought that went through her mind was that she was comfortable, which was at odds with every experience she’d had up until that point. The thought had barely occurred to her before the pain started. At first she thought it might only be cramps, but as the events of the past twenty-four hours slowly came back to her, she knew it wasn’t as simple as that.

 

Atkin’s fist connecting with her face. Crumpling to the ground as he kicked her as hard in the stomach as he could. Not being able to defend herself from the endless array of blows that kept assaulting her body. Finally losing consciousness after a particularly violent assault to her head, only to wake up later in a strange apartment with no idea how she got there.

 

She’d been convinced that Atkin and his slime-ball father had finally made good on their threats and sent her to one of their friends in order to ‘break her spirit.’ The thought had absolutely terrified her, and it had only grown when she’d registered the person in the apartment with her.

 

He was older than her; thick black hair that nearly reached his shoulders; long face with a long nose and piercing brown eyes. The most striking feature about him was his height. He towered over her and had enough muscle mass to bring down a man twice his size. He regarded her with an intensity that reminded her all too much of Plutt and his jackass of a son. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on.

 

So she’d screamed.

 

He’d reacted by covering her mouth with his enormous hand, and that was when the memory came, unbidden and unwanted.

* * *

 

 

_She’d lost all track of time. Finn had started on one of his tangents as they finished the oil change on the black Honda Civic. He was full of stories he claimed were true but were too wild and exotic to be believable, though Rey humored him all the same. By the time either of them bothered to check the time, it was nearly ten o’clock._

_“Shit!” Rey exclaimed, dropping the wrench as she jumped to her feet. “Unkar’s going to kill me!”_

_“I’m sure it’ll be fine. Just tell him I needed an extra hand and it took longer than we thought,” Finn said, though the words were futile and they both knew it._

_“Finn, it’s an oil change. We’re not building a car from scratch.”_

_She threw on her dirty jacket, ignoring the pitying look her only friend tried to hide from her._

_“At least…”_

_“What?” Rey snapped, immediately regretting the harsh edge in her voice._

_“Just stay here with me. You know there’s room.”_

_Rey sighed as she headed for the door of the garage that led out into the street. “We’ve been over this. You know why I can’t.”_

_“But we could…”_

_“No, Finn. All right? Just leave it alone.”_

_She left before he could argue further._

_The streets were empty at this hour. Rey hated being out this late, mostly because it meant she’d missed her chance to eat. The shelter had long since closed their doors, and there was no time to loot the dumpsters. She was late enough as it was. She would just have to go hungry._

_She hurried down street after street, ignoring the looks thrown her way from the few people still out. She hoped she looked repulsive enough in her dirty rags to repel any would-be attackers away, though she knew there were plenty of people who wouldn’t hesitate to pray on a young woman out alone at night, no matter how dirty they looked._

_An old man with a long gray beard noticed her and didn’t bother to hide his interest as he stood from the bench he’d been sitting on and began walking in her direction. Rey cursed her bad luck and ducked into the nearest alley, which happened to be a short cut to her destination. She could lead the man to Unkar and his gang of thugs and let them take care of the rest. They never passed up a good fight._

_Just as she was about to turn the corner out of the opposite side of the alley, she stumbled upon a man who looked as though he’d dressed for church. His eyes were wide, his attention focused on the door of the building that Rey knew led in to_ The First Order Brewery. _She’d never been there, but she knew it attracted all walks of life. Atkin had often warned her against going in there, though it wasn’t out of any concern for her safety. He never hesitated to tell her what would happen to any man who showed any interest in her. Rey hated his possessiveness, but she wasn’t yet twenty-one, so it was a moot issue regardless._

_Rey gasped in surprise as the door to the bar suddenly burst open, which caught the attention of the finely dressed man. He regarded her in obvious alarm, then grabbed her and flung her behind the dumpster on the opposite side of the door. He covered her mouth with his enormous hand and whispered for her not to make a sound. He tucked her body into his and pushed them down so that they were crouched behind the dumpster. His hand was so large that it covered both her mouth and her nose, making it difficult to breathe._

_“I’ll find you, you piece of shit!” The man who had burst from the bar, the one they were hiding from, yelled into the alley. “And then we’ll finish this!”_

_The man disappeared back into the bar, but Rey’s captor made no move to release her. An eternity seemed to pass before he finally let her go. She took the opportunity to run as far away from him as she could, noticing through her peripheral vision as she did so that he had the darkest shade of black hair she’d ever seen._

* * *

 

It was clear to Rey that this man had no memory of her. His eyes held no recognition as she’d declared that she knew him. His confusion didn’t seem to be an act, so Rey had dropped the subject. By the time he’d shown her into the room where she spent the night, Rey had vowed that she would escape at the first opportunity.

 

But she had fallen asleep before she could make good on that promise.

 

Now that it was morning, Unkar and Atkin had to know that she was missing and probably thought she’d run away. The thought filled her with anxiety because she knew neither of them were ones to make empty threats. If she didn’t show up, there would be nowhere for her to go, and she truly would be as homeless as she looked.

 

She fought through the pain as she forced herself out of the entirely too comfortable bed. Leaning against the wall for support, she told herself that she would use the bathroom then leave before her captor woke up. If she got lucky, he’d forget all about her a second time.

 

Rey quickly did her business and was just about to leave the bathroom when the pounding of footsteps filled the air.

 

The man was awake. It was too late.

 

She flushed the toilet and began limping toward the spare room, but stopped the moment she saw the man’s frenzied expression. It was clear he’d been in her room, and the anxious look on his face did little to put her at ease.

 

“Where were you? I heard movement and thought…”

 

“That I left?” Rey interrupted angrily. “So much for not being a prisoner.”

 

The man’s eyebrows pinched together as he replied, “I never said you were a prisoner.”

 

“So I’m free to leave whenever I want?”

 

“Of course,” the man began, though Rey noticed the slight hesitation in his deep voice. “Though if I were you, I don’t think I’d take my chances on the streets in your condition.”

 

Rey frowned at that. “I’m not homeless.”

 

“Your presence at the homeless shelter would suggest otherwise.”

 

“I don’t stay at the shelter. I just…”

 

“Get a free meal from time to time?” Her captor interjected. “Dress like a hobo because it’s the latest fashion trend? Somehow I doubt it.”

 

“You don’t know a thing about me,” Rey snapped, suddenly furious. “You must think pretty highly of yourself if you think a woman is going to thank you for rescuing her from a situation she didn’t need rescuing from!”

 

At that the man stared at her incredulously. “You were knocked out cold, Rey. What else would you call it?”

 

Rey held out a hand to silence him, staring coldly into his dark eyes. “How do you know my name?”

 

“What?” Suddenly the man looked nervous again.

 

“You heard me!” Rey all but yelled, causing the man to flinch and steal a quick glance before turning back to her. “How do you know my name?”

 

“The woman at the shelter told us. After you ran out of there, my mom was worried about you, so the lady who runs it told us your name is Rey. That’s all.”

 

“That’s all?” Rey repeated. “The next day you just happen to find me in an unfortunate situation then take me here to your place? I’d say that’s one hell of a coincidence.”

 

“Well, it’s also the truth. This city is smaller than you’d think.”

 

Rey wanted to argue the point further, but her leg chose that moment to give out from under her. She gasped as she began to fall, but before she made contact with the tiled floor she felt steady arms around her waist stop her at the last second.

 

“I got you,” Ben said softly. He moved her body so that she was tucked into his, then he took her right arm and wrapped it around his shoulder so that she could use him as a crutch as he helped her back to the couch he’d left her on the previous night. She bit her lip to keep from crying out with every step she took. She had a feeling her ankle might be twisted, though with the stack of injuries currently weighing her body down it was hard to tell.

 

Once he sat her on the couch, he moved to her legs. The movement was quick and she reacted instinctively, flinching away from him. “Don’t!”

 

The man stopped where he was and raised his hands in the air in a gesture of surrender. As he turned to look at her, his face had that pitying expression she saw all too often in Finn, so she turned away from him. She didn’t want or need his pity.

 

“I’m just going to stretch your leg out on the sofa so I can see if your ankle is twisted. I promise that’s all.”

 

Reluctantly, Rey turned back to him. After a moment of silence and no more swift movements, she nodded her assent.

 

The man was as careful as anyone had ever been with her as he touched her left leg and slowly helped her stretch it out on the sofa. He was quick to apologize every time she flinched from the pain any movement caused her, but eventually her pained leg was where he wanted it.

 

“Ben.”

 

“What?”

 

“Ben. It’s my name. I know yours so it’s only fair you know mine.”

 

Rey nodded slowly and did her best to ignore the jab of pain even that slight movement brought her. “Ben,” she murmured as she looked at him. Somehow, it suited him. “I like it.”

 

The man…Ben…laughed. It was the first time she heard him laugh and she was surprised to find that she liked it.

 

“I like yours too.”

 

The ghost of a smile threatened to twist upon her lips, but Rey fought back the urge. If she gave him even the smallest indication that she might feel at ease around him, he might get the wrong idea. Despite her injuries, she needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

 

“Are you hungry? I can make us breakfast.”

 

The thought of food made her stomach rumble loudly enough to fill the room. She hadn’t made it to the shelter in time for dinner last night, but a quick rummage through the dumpster had at least given her a half-eaten piece of bread and a few bites of an apple. It wasn’t much, but it had at least kept her from passing out.

 

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

 

Rey watched as Ben got up and headed into the kitchen. He rummaged through his stainless steel refrigerator and pulled out a carton of eggs, butter, and milk. He pulled out a pan from a shelf underneath his stove and began cooking.

 

Soon the room was filled with scents Rey had only dreamed about. Unkar and Atkin had rarely cooked when she was younger, and by the time she was old enough to learn they’d told her she was too stupid to learn. She had secretly taught herself, but she was never granted access to their kitchen so it left her relying on the shelter for food. The shelter had never cooked anything good enough to elicit the smells that were currently wafting from whatever Ben was cooking.

 

Minutes later Ben returned to the living room with two plates and two forks. He handed one of each over to her, which she gratefully accepted. She paused, though, when she looked down at what was on her plate.

 

“An omelet?”

 

Ben’s face fell as he settled at the small kitchen table he’d sat at the previous night. “Do you not like them?”

 

Rey felt her face flush as she shrugged. She looked down to hide it, hoping like hell he hadn’t noticed. “I don’t know. Never had one.”

 

She took a bite of her omelet then looked back up at her host as she began chewing. She couldn’t quite read the look on his face. It was a mix of surprise, disbelief, and concern. She didn’t know which one bothered her more.

 

“But it’s delicious!”

 

It wasn’t a lie. Whether it was the omelet or Ben’s cooking, she decided then and there this was the best thing she’d ever eaten.

 

“Are you messing with me?” Ben asked once he’d swallowed a bite of his own omelet.

 

Rey shook her head and replied through a mouth full of food, “I love it.”

 

Ben smiled again. Despite her feelings over being kept here in what felt against her will, she liked making him smile. It was a somewhat foreign concept to her because no one smiled at her except Finn.

 

“If you want, I can teach you. That way you can make them when you’re…” He trailed off, looking uncomfortable again.

 

“Yeah,” she said, not knowing why she wanted to reassure him. As she finished the last of her omelet, she knew it wasn’t a lie when she said softly, “I’d like that.”


	5. Peace and Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben bond, then it all falls apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This is where the rating comes into play. There is a small scene of child abuse near the beginning of the chapter, so I added a tag just in case. Skip that scene if need be, it is a flashback to an early part of Rey's childhood.   
> Other than that, read and enjoy! I always love to know what you think.

_Chapter Five_

Rey offered to help him clean the kitchen, but Ben was adamant that she stay put.

 

“How are you going to heal if you’re constantly putting unneeded stress on your body?”

 

“I hate to break it to you, but you didn’t exactly get off scott free either.” Rey indicated his bruised face. He’d been downplaying it, brushing off his injuries every time she asked about them, but she could tell they bothered him.

 

“I’m fine. It’s you who can barely stand.”

 

When it was clear she wasn’t going to win the argument she shut up and let him go about tidying up the apartment. It went against everything she was used to not to at least help him. Chores were always her responsibility. They had been for as long as she could remember. One of her earliest memories was Unkar sitting her down and explaining how he expected his household to be run.

 

* * *

 

 

_“Listen up, girl, because I’m only going to say this once. You live here now, which means you follow my rules. I’m a very busy man, and my son is quarterback and captain of the football team. As such, we will not have time to maintain the house. All the chores are your responsibility, and if they are not done to my satisfaction, you will be punished. Do you understand?”_

_Rey had been four at the time and terrified of the two towering figures that hovered above her. She sat the center of the oversized blue sofa and cowered at the massive man and his teenaged son. Unkar’s dark eyes had pierced her own. She was too afraid to answer._

_Unkar bristled and hunched over her until his face was close enough to her own that she could feel his hot, stinky breath coat her face. “I asked you a question, girl. Do you understand?”_

_Behind his father, the teenaged Atkin laughed at her obvious discomfort. “Why did they give her to us? She’s too young and stupid to be useful.”_

_“Quiet!” Unkar snapped, turning his head away from her to glare at his son. Rey breathed in relief, but it was short-lived when he regarded her once more. She was about to answer, but not quickly enough to suit him, and she felt the backside of his hand make contact with her cheek. She cried out and tried to turn away from him but his hand grabbed her chin and held it in place so that there was nowhere for her to turn._

_“Understand this. When I ask you a question, I expect an immediate response. The next time you fail to answer me, it’ll be the belt. Now. One last time. Do. You. Understand.”_

_Rey nodded her head as much as she was able to with Unkar’s hand still gripping her chin. “Y-Yes! I understand!”_

_“Good.” Unkar released her chin and returned to his full height. His eyes never left her as he ordered his son to start boiling a pot of water._

_“But Dad,” Atkin had whined. “Isn’t that what we have her for now? Why do I have to?”_

_“Because she’s too young. Do you want her burning the house down?”_

_Atkin had bristled but went to do what he was told. Rey was surprised to find she was even more terrified now that she was alone with this much older man who’d hit her. What was she supposed to do?_

_As though he’d heard her thoughts, Unkar said firmly, “After dinner you’ll do the dishes.”_

 

* * *

 

Rey pushed the memory away with a shudder. Her time was better served forgetting the past and figuring out a way to get back to the Plutts without Ben noticing.

 

It was a task that proved more difficult than she’d anticipated because Ben wouldn’t let her out of his sight.

 

He’d seemed to pick up on her anxiety because every time she fidgeted he looked at her worriedly and wanted to know if she was okay. Every time she answered yes. There was no way she could tell him why she was so desperate to go back to the Plutts. He wouldn’t understand.

 

After a while Ben stopped what he’d been doing and tossed her something small and rectangular. She caught it with one hand and examined it.

 

It was a remote for his big screen TV.

 

“Feel free to turn something on,” Ben said as he went back to his task. “You don’t have to just sit there.”

 

“No,” Rey agreed as she placed the remote next to her and sat up. “I could be helping you.”

 

Ben sighed but didn’t look at her. “You need to rest. The sooner you heal, the…”

 

“Sooner I leave,” Rey finished for him. She rolled her eyes but relaxed back in the sofa regardless. “I know. You’ve mentioned it once or twice.”

 

She picked the remote up and turned on the TV. As she flipped through the channels, she couldn’t help but feel excited at the prospect of being able to watch something of her choosing. On the rare occasion that Unkar let her near his much smaller TV, it was always supervised and either he or Atkin chose what was being watched. Rey had been so excited at the prospect of some down time that she hadn’t complained.

 

“Why do you want to help me so much?” Ben asked once she’d found a movie that looked interesting on HBO. “You don’t live here. You’re my guest. None of this is your responsibility.”

 

Thoughts of Unkar and Atkin once again invaded her mind unbidden, but she pushed them away, refusing to let Ben see her weakness. “It just doesn’t seem right to sit around while you work.”

 

When she gathered the courage to look at him she could immediately see that he wasn’t convinced. Luckily he let it go and didn’t broach the subject again.

 

Rey lost all track of time as she lost herself in the movie. She knew enough about the world to know it was one of the _Avengers_ movies, though she didn’t know which one. It wasn’t until the start of the big battle at the end that she noticed Ben had finally stopped his work and had settled himself on the floor in front of the sofa, leaning against it so that his head was beside hers.

 

A sense of peace filled the room around her, and as the heroes battled their bad guy on screen, Rey found herself wishing that she could pause this moment and savor it. Nothing was expected of her. No one was yelling at her or constantly reminding her of her place. She wasn’t struggling to find food because the Plutts refused to feed her. And because of the omelet Ben had fixed for her, her stomach wasn’t aching in hunger.

 

They were all foreign concepts to her, and she suddenly wanted more of it.

 

But like all good things in her life, it didn’t last.

 

Once the movie finished and the credits began to roll, Ben stood up and stretched his large arms high above his head as though he’d been sitting around for hours.

 

“Well, that was…”

 

Whatever it was, Ben’s sentence was interrupted by the shrill ring of a phone.

 

He groaned as he fished his phone from his pocket, and Rey got the feeling he knew without looking at the Caller ID who wanted to talk to him.

 

“Hello, Mother.”

 

Rey could hear muffled talking on the other end but it was too faint to make out. Whatever Ben was hearing, though, it was clear by the horrified look on his face that it wasn’t good.

 

“Now’s not really a good time.”

 

“No, nothing like that, it’s just…”

 

“Can’t it wait?”

 

Silence stretched for a minute before Ben let out an exasperated sigh then finally snapped, “Fine. Goodbye, Mother.”

 

He hung up without bothering to say goodbye, then threw Rey a serious look.

 

“My mother’s coming.”

 

* * *

 

 

Rey was glad she felt steadier on her feet than earlier that morning because she was sure she would have fallen as she used Ben’s impatient form as a crutch. He was helping her back into the spare bedroom, but it was clear he was impatient as he forced her to move quicker than she wanted to.

 

“Are you going to be okay here?” Ben asked once he’d helped her on the bed. Her ankle still throbbed and her body still felt like a used punching bag, but the pain was slowly starting to ebb. She nodded.

 

“Okay, good. Do you need me to bring you anything? Water, snacks?”

 

“How long is she going to be here?” Rey wondered curiously as Ben started to pace.

 

“I don’t know, but if her track record is to be believed, I’d say a while.”

 

“And I take it I can’t leave this room while she’s here?”

 

If possible, Ben looked even more anxious than he already was as he said softly, “Rey, it’s not that you can’t leave. It’s just…”

 

“My being here is something your mother wouldn’t like?”

 

Ben’s silence was answer enough.

 

The peace she’d felt earlier when the two of them had watched the movie was gone. The tension and awkwardness was back, and suddenly Rey wanted very much to go back to Unkar and Atkin. At least with them she knew where she stood.

 

A knock sounded from the front door, and Rey jumped involuntarily. Ben regarded her for a moment as he paused at the bedroom door. “I’ll try to be as quick as I can.”

 

Rey said nothing. She could tell he wanted to say more, but another knock came before he had the chance to. He spared her one more apologetic look before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. Rey half expected to hear the click of a lock. At least he hadn’t gone that far.

 

She had nothing else to do but listen as the sounds of the front door opening seeped into the room, followed by Ben’s voice.

 

“Hello, Mother.”

 

“This isn’t a bad time, is it?” The woman’s voice was deeper than she’d expected, and slightly gravelly, though she sounded enough like Ben that Rey was confident she would have been able to connect her as his mother if she didn’t already know that was who she was.

 

“Of course not. I just finished some cleaning.”

 

The woman laughed at that. “You, clean? Maybe I should make you volunteer more often.”

 

“Hilarious, as always.”

 

Rey smiled to herself as she listened to Ben and his mother banter for a few more minutes. She wondered what it would be like if her own mother hadn’t left her with the Plutts. Would their relationship have been anything like the one Ben had with his? She liked to think so. But she pushed the thought away and continued to eavesdrop on the conversation outside her room.

 

“So the numbers are in. Seems as though the public is warming up to you.”

 

“Just like that? They see one set up on TV and think they know me.” Ben sounded irritated, though Rey heard a small hint of relief in his voice.

 

“Ben, like it or not, you’ve been in the spotlight long enough for people to have formed opinions of you. Getting into fights outside of bars is going to be more damaging to you than it would for anyone else. Putting someone in the hospital is going to require some damage control on our part.”

 

“Mom, why can’t you just admit it? You’re doing all of this to save your reputation, not mine! You really think anyone cares what the son of a state senator is doing in his spare time? All they care about is you and how it is affecting you. So spare me your false concern.”

 

“You know that isn’t true,” Rey heard Ben’s mom snap. It was clear who he got his temper from. “My concern for you isn’t false. I’m not doing this to get re-elected. This is about you and making sure you don’t screw up your life. You still have so much potential. You can go back to college and get your degree. I know how much you used to love your art.”

 

“I already told you I’m not going back to college,” Ben replied shortly, a slight edge to his voice.

 

“Well, whatever you decide to do with your life, it can’t involve losing your temper at anyone who makes you mad. You’ve got to learn to control your temper, which brings me to why I’m here.”

 

“Of course you have ulterior motives,” Ben mumbled, sounding more resigned than angry.

 

“I pulled some strings, and I made an appointment for you with Dr. Kanata.”

 

“God, Mom, would you stop already? Volunteering at that homeless shelter was bad enough. Now I have to go to some stupid shrink?”

 

“You need to get your anger in check, and you also need to show that you’re changing. The numbers from shelter are good, but it would do wonders if you showed that you were trying to take more responsibility for your actions rather than simply helping the community.”

 

“And I suppose I don’t have a choice in this?”

 

“Just go to one session. What’s the harm in at least giving it a shot?”

 

Silence met this answer. Rey waited for his reply, which came a moment later.

 

“One session. That’s all.”

 

“Okay.” Rey heard the smile in her voice as she said, “Grab your coat. It starts in half an hour.”

 

“Nothing like giving a guy a warning,” Ben mumbled, but he didn’t argue any further. The door closed not long after that.

 

Rey waited, half expecting for him to have changed his mind, but when it was clear Ben and his mother weren’t coming back, she slowly got to her feet and shuffled her way out of the spare bedroom.

 

As the conversation she’d overheard repeated itself in her mind, tears filled her eyes. She’d started to believe that he wanted to help her out of the goodness of his heart. The Plutts were right; she was stupid. It was all an act set up to help his image. She should have realized it when she saw him at the shelter and saw the cameras. He didn’t really care. He was being forced to by his mother who, as Ben himself had said, had her own reasons for making him look good. He was nothing but a liar.

 

And she was an idiot for believing him.

 

She refused to be his charity case anymore. She needed to return to the Plutts anyway. This was simply the push she needed.

 

Rey hurried as quickly as she could into the kitchen and began rummaging around for something to eat. She wasn’t in any condition to make her way to the shelter that night, and since the Plutts never gave her anything and she didn’t have any money, it was steal Ben’s food or go hungry. She could live with herself if she stole from him. He’d stolen an entire day from her. It was only fair.

 

She stuffed as much of the food as she could into a black garbage bag she found then headed for the front door. As she steeled herself for the unpleasant reunion she was about to have with Unkar and Atkin, Rey took one last look around the apartment. Though it was all a lie, her time here hadn’t been unpleasant. It would be something good to hold on to while her life went back to being the miserable, lonely existence she was used to.

 

She couldn’t remember ever having felt so alone as she closed the door to Ben’s apartment firmly shut behind her.


	6. The Doctor and the Gun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben sees Dr. Kanata and returns home only to find Rey gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, man! I can't believe the response this story has gotten! I really am so happy everyone seems to like it! I'm definitely excited to hear what you think about this chapter. We met yet another familiar character and find out how Ben reacts to finding Rey gone. Let me know what you think!

_Chapter Six_

Leia waited until they’d merged onto the freeway to ask about Ben’s bruises.

 

“Tell me you haven’t been fighting again,” she’d said in the calm, steady voice she only used when she was truly angry.

 

The last thing he wanted to do was tell his mother about Rey. He wasn’t ashamed about defending her, but he wasn’t sure how she would react to finding out that he’d gone out looking for her and found her getting assaulted by some guy, only to put himself in danger by assaulting the guy in return. He _definitely_ didn’t want her knowing that he’d taken her to his apartment, where he was currently keeping her.

 

He winced at the thought. _Keeping her?_ She wasn’t a stray dog he’d decided to adopt. She was a human. Despite his arguments against her kidnapping accusation, he was finding it harder and harder to call it anything else. She was free to leave if she wanted to. He couldn’t quite understand her need to desire to, but it was her decision. Sooner or later she would realize that.

 

So why did his gut twist every time he thought about it?

 

“Ben, are you even listening to me?” His mother sounded resigned and as tired as he could recall her ever having been.

 

“What?”

 

His mother sighed, though she kept her eyes steadily on the road as she went on, “At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it is important that you at least try to change. One day you’ll wake up and realize this path isn’t going to lead anywhere good. You’re almost thirty. It’s time to grow up.”

 

 _How can I when you continue to interfere in my life and treat me like a child? Still making appointments and driving me to them like I’m fifteen years old again._ Ben longed to say the thought out loud, but it would only lead to another argument. After the events of the past couple of days, he found he was simply too exhausted to bother.

 

* * *

 

 

“So, Ben Solo. I’ve heard quite a lot about you.”

 

 _I’ll bet you have,_ Ben thought bitterly, though once again he kept his thoughts to himself.

 

He hadn’t been surprised to find out that the therapist his mother had set him up with was situated in the wealthiest area of Alderaan. The large marble building looked like it would have been better suited as a castle, but instead hosted a variety of independent practices from therapy, physical therapy, doctor’s offices, dental offices, and a law firm.

 

Leia explained that his new therapist’s name was Maz Kanata and she’d been practicing therapy for the past forty years. She had two Master’s degrees in both clinical psychology and occupational therapy, as well as a PhD in clinical psychology. She’d been called to consult on a number of high profile cases, mostly having to do with celebrities and politicians, which of course explained how his mother had been able to connect with her. He wondered if she’d had sessions with the woman.

 

The senator had insisted on waiting for him, which did nothing to improve Ben’s attitude. He wanted nothing more than to take his mother’s car and drive back to the apartment to check on Rey. He felt incredibly guilty leaving her with no explanation, but hopefully she understood that he had no choice.

 

Now, as he stepped through the door that Dr. Kanata held open for him, he could only hope that his time went by quickly and that Rey was using the time alone to relax.

 

“Have you ever been to a therapist before?” Dr. Kanata asked as she gestured for him to take a seat in the royal blue wingback chair in the center of the office.

 

Ben shook his head as he sat the proffered seat. “Aren’t you supposed to have a sofa?”

 

Dr. Kanata smiled at that as she sat in the matching chair facing his. As he regarded her, he had to admit that she was nothing how he’d imagined she would be. She was small, not even five feet tall, but had a quiet, intense energy that seemed to fill the entire room. She dressed in a simple orange blouse and black slacks and her dark hair was in an elaborate French braid that hung down to her waist. What struck Ben the most about her, however, was her large tortoise-shell glasses that enlarged her dark brown eyes. He got the impression she took in the world through permanent magnifying glasses that allowed her to stare deep into the souls of those around her. Despite the drastic height difference he had to admit that he was a little intimidated by her.

 

“I find that when my patients and I are on an equal footing, it makes for a more relaxed atmosphere. Though if you want one, I’m sure I can have one brought up.”

 

There was no way for him to tell if she was joking or not. Either way, he didn’t bother to reply.

 

“So,” she said, as she picked up a small notepad from the glass coffee table between them. “Tell me about yourself, Mr. Solo.”

 

Ben shrugged and crossed his arms. “I’m sure you already know everything you wanted to already.”

 

“I want to hear it from you.”

 

Ben seriously considered saying nothing for the rest of the session. He didn’t have to spill his demons to a stranger he’d barely met. But as his dark gaze met the woman’s equally piercing one, he realized that she would probably infer more from his silence. So he spoke.

 

“I’m twenty-seven. I’ll be twenty-eight next month. My friend owns a bar in town and gets me free drinks whenever I want them. And I have a problem with my temper which, thanks to the local news media, is now common knowledge.”

 

The doctor raised an eyebrow and leaned forward so that her elbows rested on her knees. Her magnified eyes were unsettling as they stared at him and said, “I didn’t ask why you’re here. I asked about _you.”_

 

Ben raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t sure if he was going to like this therapist. “I…I used to draw.”

 

“What did you like to draw?”

 

Ben thought for a moment, but knew what his answer was the moment he’d been posed the question. “People.”

 

“Did you ever decide to pursue it?”

 

“Once.”

 

“Why didn’t you?”

 

And just like that, images ran through his head of things… _Paige…_ that he had done his best not to think about for a long time. Watching her storm out of the apartment and out of his life forever after destroying everything he’d worked so hard to achieve.

 

How was it possible that he’d known this doctor for less than ten minutes and she was already getting him to bring up memories he’d rather stay buried.

 

“That’s none of your business.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Dr. Kanata said as she began scribbling in her notepad for the first time. “You don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to. This is a safe space.”

 

Ben was far from convinced, and did as he’d initially planned and refused to say another word. His mother may have talked him into this ridiculous session, but he didn’t have to cooperate.

 

By the time his hour was finally up, he’d succeeded in burying all thoughts of Paige and his art, and instead thought about Rey. She’d been alone in the apartment for most of the afternoon. He hoped she didn’t try to overwork her body by wandering around, then smiled to himself because he knew she wouldn’t have.

 

His mother tried to engage him in conversation on the drive back to the apartment but he hardly paid attention. By the time Leia pulled into the complex’s parking lot she’d given up and instead merely thanked him for giving Dr. Kanata a shot and told him she would see him later.

 

He waved her off absent-mindedly then hurried into the building. He said a brief hello to the security guard who was stationed at his post this time around, then ignored Phasma once he’d reached the tenth floor.

 

“How’s your cousin? Feeling better?”

 

“Yes,” he said impatiently, then hurried away from the towering blond, who always seemed to be lurking in the hallways waiting for him to appear.

 

“Rey?” Ben called once he opened the door. He was surprised to find the lights off and the air still and undisturbed. He knew immediately that something wasn’t right.

 

“Rey!” he called, storming into the apartment without bothering to close the door behind him. He went straight for the spare bedroom, hoping she was simply taking a nap. He willed himself to see her asleep on the bed as he swung the bedroom door open, knowing as he did so that he was only kidding himself. And, sure enough, the door opened into an empty bedroom. Upon a quick check of the bathroom, his bedroom, and the hall closet, he reluctantly faced the truth.

 

Rey was gone.

 

The disappointment he felt upon the realization washed over him so heavily that he nearly suffocated on it. He frantically checked the kitchen, living room, and the dining table for any sign of a note or motive as to why she left. Sure, she’d been threatening to leave ever since she’d woken up on the sofa. But she hadn’t. He’d come to hope that maybe she was beginning to trust him and would soon realize staying with him was a much better option than staying with that Atkin jerk.

 

Whoever he was.

 

He’d been an idiot to get his hopes up. No, scratch that. He’d been an idiot to let another woman into his heart. He’d thought nothing would equal the pain he’d felt the day Paige left him, but somehow this was worse. He’d only known Rey for a day. He didn’t know anything about her. He didn’t know where she lived, what kinds of foods she liked, her favorite movie. Hell, he didn’t even know her last _name._ The girl was practically a stranger to him.

 

A stranger who he couldn’t seem to get out of his head.

 

“Ben?”

 

His head snapped up at the one voice he did _not_ want to talk to at the moment. Phasma had appeared in the doorway, staring quizzically at him before turning her gaze on the door he still hadn’t shut. “Everything okay?”

 

“Yes, Phasma,” Ben lied, doing his best to keep an even voice. “Everything’s fine.”

 

“Where’d your cousin storm off to?”

 

At first the words didn’t quite register with him as he thought his neighbor was trying to pry more personal information out of him. When he looked up and studied her slightly worried expression, it dawned on him that maybe she knew more than she was letting on.

 

“Why do you think she stormed off anywhere?” he asked.

 

She seemed to pick up the slight edge to his otherwise calm tone because her usual pompous demeanor was evaporating quickly.

 

“Because she did. A little over an hour ago. Made straight for the elevator looking like she’d just seen her dog die or something. She looked like she might’ve been limping but she was clearly determined to go somewhere.”

 

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” Ben snapped at her. He could feel his fists clenching, almost by instinct, and he felt that white-hot stab of fury he usually felt right before he was about to punch someone.

 

Phasma seemed to pick up on it, but she didn’t back down. “I didn’t know I was supposed to give you a play-by-play on your cousin’s actions! Last time I checked, your private family matters were none of my business.”

 

Ben snorted as he crossed his arms in an effort to keep himself calm. “Like that’s ever stopped you before.”

 

“What’s that supposed to--?” Phasma began, but Ben raised a hand to cut her off.

 

“You know what? You’re right. It is none of your business. So why don’t you go on home and forget about any of this.”

 

Phasma opened her mouth, no doubt to argue some more, but she seemed to think better of and closed it as she turned to head back the way she’d come. “Fine. I’ll see you later.”

 

The door closing in her face was the only reply he felt satisfied in giving her.

 

Once he was alone again, Ben was suddenly at a loss for what to do. Should he go back out and look for her? He would feel like a stalker. Go to the homeless shelter? What if she didn’t come? She knew he’d volunteered there because she’d seen him. He’d also told her. Now he regretted that decision because it meant she might start avoiding the place in an effort to avoid him. Where would she get her meals if she didn’t go back?

 

Come to think of it, why was she resorting to eating at the homeless shelter if she lived with that asshole? Wasn’t Atkin feeding her? Or was he too much of an ass to take care of her? He’d certainly looked as though money wasn’t an issue the night Ben had seen him. If he could afford to buy clothes for himself, why did Rey look like a street urchin?

 

Something didn’t add up.

 

Before he could try to talk himself out of it, he went into his bedroom and fired up the laptop that he rarely used anymore. He sat down at the desk he used more as a storage container than desk and tapped his fingers on the surface impatiently was he waited for it to come to life. Once it did, he immediately began a search.

 

Minutes into his quest, he knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere. He’d tried typing in _Atkin, Rey, Alderaan, California_ in varying degrees, but nothing yielded any results. He continued his amateur search for another half an hour before he finally caved and picked up the phone.

 

“Hey, buddy. I see you were a no show last night,” Hux said by way of greeting. “Maybe that stunt affected you more than you thought it would.”

 

“You have no idea,” Ben muttered.

 

“Huh?”

 

Ben sighed and stood up to begin pacing the room. “Forget it. Listen, I need you to do a favor for me, and I need you not to ask any questions.”

 

“Well, this just got interesting. What is it?” Hux asked, and Ben hated how eager his friend sounded.

 

“Does your dad still have access to the police database?”

 

Hux’s dad, Brendol Hux, was a retired police chief who was still an occasional point of contact when the department needed a hand. Now that he was retired he didn’t use it as much, but he still had it for when he was called upon to assist on a case.

 

“Yeah. Why?”

 

“Because I need him to look someone up. Please don’t ask me why.”

 

“Are you in some kind of trouble?” Hux asked, sounding worried for the first time that Ben could recall.

 

“No, but someone I know may be. Can you do it or not?” Ben inquired impatiently.

 

“Yeah, sure. Who are looking for?”

 

“His name is Atkin. I don’t know if it’s his first or last name, but he’s a tall guy. Looks around our age.”

 

“Is he big? With the face of a blowfish?”

 

Ben stiffened, not daring to imagine that his one and only friend might know the one and only guy he wanted to beat the living shit out of. “Yeah…”

 

This time it was Hux’s turn to sigh. “There’s no need to look him up in the database. I know who you’re talking about. His name’s Atkin Plutt. Once the star quarterback of the Alderaan High School football team, now heir apparent to his father’s junk shop.”

 

“How the hell do you know him?”

 

“Now it’s your turn to keep a secret.” He hesitated a moment, and Ben could hear some background chatter. When Hux spoke again his voice was much softer, sounding as though he was whispering. “He hooks me up from time to time. Just the occasional bit of weed, nothing serious. His connections run deep.” He paused again, then asked a moment later, “Why are you looking for him? The guy’s nothing but trouble.”

 

“Do you know if he lives with anyone?”

 

“Just his dad. He never moved out, though I’ll never understand why. His old man’s a loser who never finished high school and treats anyone he talks to like scum on the underside of his shoe. I’ve seen him throw a punch or two at Atkin from time to time, though no one’s ever had the guts to punch him back. I know a few guys who would like to, though,” Hux explained.

 

Ben wondered if his friend considered himself one in that group, but didn’t ask. He had more pressing concerns on his mind. “What about a girl? Do you know if a girl lives with them, or has at any point?”

 

“What’s this all about, anyway?” Hux asked suspiciously.

 

“Didn’t I say not to ask questions?”

 

“I feel it’s my duty to ask if you’re thinking about doing something that might get you killed.”

 

“Don’t worry about me and just answer the goddamn question!” Ben yelled. He would have hung up already if he didn’t still need the information Hux had. “Does a girl live with them or not?”

 

“I’ve seen one hang around Atkin sometimes when we do business. I don’t know if she lives with him, though I don’t think she does. She always looked homeless. Dirty hair in three buns, giant dirty jacket. Honestly, she looked like another one of his customers. Is that who you’re talking about?”

 

“Where can I find him?” Ben ignored the question with one of his own.

 

“What are you going to do?”

 

“Tell me now or I’ll beat it out of you later. Either way, I’m going to get what I want,” Ben warned. He stopped pacing and sat back down to retrieve a pen and paper. He knew Hux would cave and give him the information. He knew Ben too well to know he didn’t make idle threats.

 

Once Hux had reluctantly given him the address, Ben hung up, stuffed the phone back in his pocket, then grabbed his car keys. He was grateful Phasma wasn’t lurking outside his apartment as he made his way down the stairwell, too impatient to wait for the elevator. He might have actually punched her if she’d tried to stand in his way.

 

Once he was inside the car, he pulled out of his designated spot and nearly hit two cars as he swung on to the street. His thoughts were on nothing but Rey as he sped faster and faster to the address Hux had given him. When he found the building he parked a block away then opened his glove compartment to make sure the gun he kept stashed there for emergencies was still there. He took it out, made sure the safety was on, then tucked it into the waistband of his jeans. He untucked his shirt to conceal the gun, then crossed the street and made his way to the building. This time he made sure he came prepared.

 

If Atkin Plutt wanted a fight, Ben would make sure to give him one.


	7. Truth Will Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben demands answers and is reunited with Rey.

_Chapter Seven_

Rey had been told to go to the junk shop to make up for the time she had been missing.

 

“If I go out of business because of you I promise you will be making that money up to me one way or another,” Unkar had snarled, his hot breath in her face as he looked her up and down with appraisal. “I never would have taken you off your parents’ hands if I had known you were going to be this much trouble.”

 

Rey had said nothing, knowing anything she had to say would only make things worse. In her fifteen years with Unkar and his pain-in-the-ass son, she had learned that she fared better if she kept her mouth shut and her head down. She’d stood up for herself a lot more when she’d been younger and thought she could fight her way out of her situation. When her words had been met with fists and her anger met with raging fury, she had given up for the sake of self-perseverance.

 

The junk shop was the slightly smaller building beside their apartment, which was convenient because Unkar never let her use his car. It was a family car, which meant only family could drive it. He had made it clear enough to her through the years that she wasn’t family; only a means to an end.

 

She ignored the looks Unkar’s employees gave her as she entered the junk shop. She shrugged off her jacket, threw it on her guardian’s desk in his closet-sized office, then grabbed her toolbox and went to work. The sooner she could get started, the quicker her mind would stop thinking about Ben and his gorgeous apartment, his ridiculously comfortable furniture, and his delicious food.

 

No one had ever cooked her dinner before. At least, not that she could remember. Unkar and Atkin fed her when she was too young to do it herself, but the moment she could start she was rewarded by being told her meals were on her. Unkar would buy groceries, cook for himself and his son, and she would be forced to make do with what was left. She had never been allowed to use the stove, so she either used the microwave or fixed sandwiches, cereal, or anything else that didn’t require a ton of effort. For Ben, a man who had left a terrible first impression on her, who she had thought would be no different from any man other than Finn she had ever met, to cook her something when he hadn’t known her longer than a day was something she…wasn’t used to. It was utterly foreign, and she wanted more of it.

 

As she began to tear apart the old convertible to salvage any working parts, ignoring the flare of pain that coursed through her entire body, she mentally berated herself for being so foolish. A man taking care of her could only mean one thing, and she refused to lower herself that far. As much as the Plutts threatened to use her in _that_ way in order to make even better money she had never let it happen, though she suspected it had more to do with Atkin’s strange possessiveness over her than any claim she had over her dignity. If Atkin wasn’t in the picture Unkar might very well follow through with the threats he’d been making since she was thirteen.

 

It was no use thinking about it. Until she could save enough money to buy a bus ticket to Arizona, she just had to grin and bear it. She figured she had enough saved that it would only be a couple more months. Three tops, and then she could put all of this behind her and start over. A fresh start was what she truly wanted, not someone who took her in because he felt sorry for her. She would make her own way. All she needed to do was be patient for a little while longer.

 

* * *

 

 

Ben imagined himself storming into the apartment and tearing Rey out of Atkin’s arms at gunpoint if need be. He imagined them in the middle of another argument that turns physical quickly and he uses the gun to get him to stop hurting her. Or he simply barges in, shoots everyone who stands in his way, then finds Rey and carries her out, telling her not to look as he maneuvers through the bodies of people who had done her nothing but wrong.

 

But Ben didn’t do any of those things.

 

Instead he kept the gun out of sight and rang the intercom of the buzzer with the name PLUTT taped beside it. To his surprise, he was buzzed up without an explanation to his presence. He didn’t question it as he went up. They were probably expecting company.

 

When their apartment door opened a moment later, a man who could only be Atkin’s father filled the doorframe. He could immediately see how Hux could be intimidated by this man. He was easily one of the largest men he had ever seen. As he stood imposingly, staring down the end of his nose at Ben like he was looking at a bug he wanted to squash, Ben was struck with the thought that this man would have made a good bodyguard.

 

“You have a lot of nerve coming here,” the man all but growled as he kept his penetrating gaze pinned on Ben.

 

_What the hell?_ Ben tried not to look as confused as he felt as he replied coldly, “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

 

“No, and that’s the problem. What kind of business do you have interfering in my family’s personal affairs?”

 

“I make it my business when your family affairs involve beating up helpless women in abandoned alleys like the low-life thugs you are,” Ben replied coolly, surprising himself with how calm he sounded when his insides felt like a hurricane of emotion was brewing, just waiting to be released.

 

At that the man scoffed. “If you mean _Rey,_ the girl’s hardly helpless. She’ll hand your ass back to you in a fight if it comes to that. She doesn’t take any shit from anyone.” Then, with a nasty sneer Ben immediately wanted to wipe off his face, he added, “Except when she knows what’s good for her, if you know what I mean.”

 

Ben did know what he meant. That was why his fist landed on his jaw on pure instinct. Unkar’s reaction time was slow due to his enormous bulk. It made what Ben was about to do so much easier.

 

He found the hilt of the gun and pulled the firearm out of his waistband, then landed one more blow to Unkar’s face. The brute force he was met with, combined with his shock at the attack itself, made it all too easy for Ben to put him on his back.

 

“You fucking…” Unkar snarled as he struggled to put himself into an upright position, but he froze the moment he saw the gun pointed in his face.

 

“Where is she?”

 

“Like I’d tell you, you son of a bitch!” Unkar kept his gaze firmly on the gun as he tried once again to pull himself up.

 

Ben waved the gun in front of his face almost carelessly, which made the bigger man stop again. “If anyone’s going to be throwing insults around, it’ll be the man with the weapon. Now I’ll repeat myself slower this time in case you were simply too stupid to follow along the first time. Where. Is. Rey?”

 

To Ben’s simultaneous astonishment and annoyance, Unkar Plutt still did not seem to understand the severity of the situation because he snapped, “What makes her so special to you? Why go to all this trouble for her? If you knew who she really is… _what_ she really is, you wouldn’t bother.”

 

“So enlighten me,” Ben replied through clenched teeth, keeping his grip as steady as ever as he lifted the gun to point right between the man’s eyebrows. “Keep in mind that the longer you talk, the more pissed off I’ll be at having to keep listening to you.”

 

Glaring murderously at him, Unkar said quickly, “She came to me when she was four years old. Her parents used to come to me from time to time, either for a loan or a fix. Biggest bunch of drugged up bums I’d ever met. Couldn’t go more than a day without a fix of something. Booze, coke, heroin, didn’t make any difference to them. But they couldn’t afford to fund their habits, so they would come to me because they didn’t have anywhere else to turn.”

 

“Honestly, I was surprised when they came by one day with a kid. Didn’t even know the woman was pregnant, she was so damn small. Both of them were just skin and bones. The little money they did have went to the drugs rather than food. Beats me how they thought they could afford a child, but for four years they’d somehow managed it.”

 

“They came around that day like any other day. I thought they were after another quick fix, but instead they come to me with some cock-and-bull story about needing a loan to help them start a better life. Like a fool, I believed them. They said they needed twenty grand to get them started but they didn’t have anything other than the girl as collateral.”

 

Ben felt sick to his stomach as he realized the direction in which this horrible story was about to take.

 

“Six months. A year, tops. After that, they said they’d come back for her. I shouldn’t have agreed to it, but I was a softie at heart. Still am for continuing to keep her around even though it was obvious they were never going to come back. Those two needed drugs like a fish needs water. What they didn’t need was a kid to tie them down.”

 

“So why exactly do you keep her around?” Ben couldn’t help but ask. “You could have called social services on her. She wasn’t your responsibility.”

 

At that, Unkar shrugged. “Figured I could use the help. I was a single dad raising my son on my own and a business owner at the same time. Didn’t have time to manage both so I kept her around as…”

 

“Slave labor?” Ben cut in furiously.

 

“My assistant,” Unkar replied, his voice dangerously low. “Which she has been ever since. Little bitch had to earn her way somehow. Turns out she’s quite the mechanic. Can fix things most would call beyond hope. She’s so small she can fit places that would otherwise stay dirty. Plus,” he added with a sadistic smile, “she keeps my son from getting too lonely.”

 

“I think I’ve heard enough,” Ben cut in tiredly, unsure which emotion as winning out in his mind: anger or disgust. He waved the gun again, satisfied to see the control Plutt seemed to have thought he’d gained disappear from his eyes. “Now let me tell you how this is going to play out. You’re going to stay here while I go get Rey. You aren’t going to move from this spot until both of us have long since gone. You’re not going to call the police because you know it’s only going to incriminate you. I know about the drug ring and the child labor, and I’m pretty sure I could get my mother to pull some strings to slap you with a kidnapping charge. She could probably do it, too, considering she’s a state senator.”

 

“You sonofa…” Unkar began, his large face tomato red with fury, but Ben cut him off with yet another wave of his gun.

 

“The next words out your mouth better be Rey’s location, or I’ll make sure you’re never able to talk again.”

 

Unkar seemed to consider for a moment before he reluctantly growled, “The junk shop beside this building.”

 

“Now was that so hard?”

 

Ben allowed the gun to twitch in his grip and pretended to fire at him as he made his way back the way he came, earning him a frightened yell from Unkar Plutt, who cowered as much as his bulky frame would let him. By the time he realized he was okay and that Ben didn’t actually shoot him, Ben was long gone.

 

The junk shop smelled like engine grease, sweat, and old tires as Ben entered a couple of minutes after leaving the apartment where the Plutts lived. There several employees, all of them men, who glanced up at him, but they all left him alone after giving him a considering look. Ben probably looked ready to murder someone. It was certainly how he felt. He would have been proud of his self restraint after hearing Unkar’s story, but he was too focused on finding Rey to think about anything else.

 

“Where’s Rey?” Ben barked at the young man closest to him. He was wearing a pair of gray coveralls with the name _DJ_ embroidered on the upper right corner.

 

The man wordlessly pointed to the back of the junk shop where it looked like the oldest, rattiest cars were stored. Ben didn’t bother thanking the man as he strode purposefully in that direction.

 

He found her underneath the skeleton of a car that he supposed must have run once upon a time. He couldn’t make heads or tails of any of it, but Rey was working underneath it so diligently that she didn’t hear him say her name at first. At least, that’s what he told himself because he didn’t think she would outright ignore him. Then again, he’d only known her a day so it wasn’t really for him to say what she would or would not do.

 

The second time he said her name he knew she heard him because she froze what she was doing, then slowly rolled herself out.

 

Her face was caked in grease. From her forehead down to the base of her neck was smeared in black grease that he was surprised to find didn’t repulse him. On the contrary, he suddenly found himself thinking she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

 

It was Rey who broke the silence first. She sat up from the skateboard she’d been using to roll herself back and forth from the car and muttered, “What do you want?”

 

“I’ve come to take you back,” he said, then immediately regretted how…inhuman the words must have made her seem. He’d reminded himself once before that she wasn’t some stray puppy he could take in and throw out at leisure. She was a human, and an adult at that, who was perfectly capable of making her own decisions.

 

She seemed to be thinking along those same lines because she said, sounding more annoyed than angry, “Did it ever occur to you that I left for a reason?”

 

“Honestly, I just sort of assumed you’d been kidnapped.”

 

His attempt to lighten the atmosphere did not go over as well as he’d hoped, but he was encouraged to see the beginnings of a smile dance upon her lips.

 

“I hate to break it to you, but not everyone wants to be the next Organa-Solo charity case. Some of us need to accept our lot in life and move on.”

 

“Is that what you’ve been telling yourself all these years? Waiting for parents who you know in your heart won’t come back for you?”

 

This got the reaction he wanted. Her dark eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed in apparent anger. “Don’t talk about things you don’t understand.”

 

She got to her feet, picked up the skateboard, then began to walk away from him. He grabbed her wrist, stopping her before she could take more than a couple of steps and replied, “I understand Plutt has been using your false hope to keep you coming back to him despite years of torment and abuse. I understand he makes you work for him in return for a place to stay. I understand he and his jackass son make enough money to take care of themselves and you, but they make you go to the homeless shelter for food and keep you dressed in rags and take all the money you should be earning in order to keep you dependent on them. I understand that you should be in college, studying to make a better life for yourself, and that you should be going out and having fun instead of slaving away in this aptly named junk shop. What I don’t understand is why.”

 

Rey turned around and yanked her wrist out of his grip. “Of course you don’t,” she snapped at him, her voice shaking with mounting fury. “You have parents who love you. You don’t know what it’s like to be abandoned by the people who are supposed to love you and take care of you. You could never imagine how it feels to know your family loved money and drugs more than their kid. Just be thankful you never have to.”

 

“You’re right,” Ben conceded softly. “I don’t know how it feels. I’m sorry that you do. But I want that to end.”

 

She frowned and crossed her arms, but she didn’t walk away. Ben took that as a sign to continue.

 

“All I’m offering is friendship. A place to stay with no strings attached until you can on your feet. As long as it takes. You can get a real job, or you can go to college. You can join the girl scouts for all I care! You deserve to experience the things you’ve missed out on. Don’t ruin this because you’re clinging on to the false hope that you know in your heart isn’t real.”

 

“What do you mean, ‘no strings attached?’ You let me live in your apartment without anything in return?” Ben hated the suspicion in her voice, the doubt in her eyes.

 

“Yes. All you need to do is worry about yourself. It’s never too late to start over. Don’t look back on this opportunity with regret later on.”

 

“You’ll let me leave when I want?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“If I decide to leave tomorrow, you won’t stop me?”

 

“I promise.”

 

“Even if I stop by the junk shop from time to time just to see?”

 

“That would be holding on to false hope,” Ben began, earning himself a glare from Rey. “But yes.”

 

Rey seemed to think on it for a moment. As Ben looked around he saw that they had gathered a small crowd of employees around them who were watching their conversation with interest. Ben ignored them as he continued to wait for Rey’s answer.

 

“Okay,” she said after what felt like an eternity of silent deliberation. “I’ll go with you. On one condition.”

 

Ben tried not to look too pleased with himself as he said, “Sure. Anything.”

 

“Our relationship stays strictly platonic. No romance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Rey. Obviously she doesn't know how these things tend to work out...
> 
> As always, let me know what you think!


	8. Awkward Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben does his best to make Rey feel at home.

_Chapter Eight_

Rey had been quiet during the ride back to the apartment. She hadn’t said a word after she’d told Ben she wasn’t going back to the apartment for any belongings. “There’s nothing there worth taking,” she’d replied shortly, then followed Ben out to his car with nothing but the clothes on her back. Ben didn’t know if that made him feel relieved or depressed.

 

He’d tried desperately to think of something to say. He wanted to reassure her that her life would be different from now on, and she would never have to worry about her next meal or wear clothes that would probably be better off burned than washed, or that no one would ever touch her if she didn’t want them to.

 

Ben refrained from saying any of those things, however, because he didn’t want to come across as condescending or overbearing. He knew what it was like when someone tried to overstep their bounds because his parents (particularly, his mother) liked to do it on a weekly basis. As he pulled into his apartment’s parking lot, he mentally promised himself that he would not make Rey feel as though he was trying to interfere in her life. Yes, he was the reason she had left behind the only life she had ever known, but he quickly convinced himself that didn’t count. He had put an end to her suffering; it needed to happen.

 

“Here we are,” Ben announced, hating himself for how awkward he sounded. He glanced at Rey, who was staring down at her lap. He noticed the bruise on her cheek had turned an ugly purple, but she wasn’t limping as profoundly as before. He was struck with a sudden urge to run his finger across her bruise and reassure her that no one would never raise their hand to her again. He chose not to because he knew it would send the message to her that he wasn’t taking her condition of no romance seriously. Hopefully he’d be able to convince her during her stay with him that not all acts of kindness meant something vile.

 

“Are you ready to come up?” He asked after a minute had passed. She had yet to move.

 

Rey sighed and looked up at him. Her eyes were bright with unspoken words, and Ben knew she had something she wanted to say to him as well, but something stopped her. She looked away again, unlatched her seatbelt and replied, “Yes.”

 

She followed him into the building. Sam, the security guard on duty, glanced up as they entered. He wished Ben a good evening but paused as he took in Rey’s filthy appearance. Ben watched his lip curl in disgust as he assessed Rey’s grease-covered face, overly large, disgusting coat, and muddy boots, and was about to chastise the man for his blatant disrespect but the man recovered quickly.

 

“And a good evening to you, miss. Are you visiting Mr. Solo?”

 

Rey hesitated, obviously unsure of what to say, and looked to Ben for help. “I…”

 

“She’s not a visitor. She’s going to be staying with me for a little while.”

 

“You never mentioned you’d be having…”

 

“I’m mentioning it now. Is this going to be a problem?” Ben asked, his voice full of warning.

 

“No, sir,” the man quickly reassured him. “I only meant that…well, if she were a visitor she would have to sign in with me. She doesn’t have anything with her, so…” the man trailed off under Ben’s continuous hard gaze, knowing whatever battle he thought he needed to engage in was over before it had the chance to begin.

 

“Sam, I appreciate you doing your job, but frankly Rey’s presence here is none of your business. If she was a visitor I would have had her sign in with you, but seeing as she’s not, there’s really nothing further to discuss.”

 

“Yes, sir. Of course, sir,” Sam replied quickly, then held the door open for both of them in what he clearly felt as a show of good faith for arguing.

 

Ben felt proud of himself as he went through the open door, followed closely by Rey. He hadn’t lost his temper with the security guard, though it would have been all too easy. He had felt the familiar prick of anger the moment Sam had questioned Rey’s presence, but had managed to let it pass without bringing it to the surface.

 

The quick elevator ride to the tenth floor was silent, mostly due to Ben’s continued lack of reassurance. By the time they reached the tenth floor he was beginning to regret his introverted nature for the first time. Usually he was fine with not talking to people and only keeping a few close friends, but now that he had found himself a roommate, he was finding it a hindrance.

 

Rey followed silently as he went to unlock his apartment door. Once he had it open he stepped aside so that she could enter first. She did, looking around as she did so. As she passed, he thought he saw a small smile play on her lips, but after he blinked and looked closer it was gone.

 

He vowed that he would do anything in his power to make her smile.

 

“So. What do you want to do first?” Ben asked once he’d closed and locked the door behind them.

 

Rey stood in the entryway and looked down at her feet in apparent thought, though Ben had a feeling he knew what she was going to say.

 

Sure enough, it only took a second longer for her to raise her head and look at him hopefully as she replied softly, “Can we make dinner?”

 

“Sure.” Ben hurried into the kitchen and began rummaging around in his shelves to find something suitable. He was disappointed in his lack of a selection and made a mental note to visit the grocery store in the morning. He managed to find some hamburger patties in the freezer so he pulled two of them out. He let them thaw on the counter as he looked around for the hamburger buns he was pretty sure were still laying around somewhere.

 

He found both the buns and a package of instant mashed potatoes sitting together on his counter, so he took both of those and figured their dinner could be quick and simple. He would give Rey a better meal later once he went shopping.

 

He was about to get to work when he noticed her standing in the same spot, watching him. She had her arms crossed over her chest, the sleeves of her massive, dirty jacket swallowing them up. He was about to tell her she could sit down while he cooked, but a better idea came upon him as he remembered the promise he’d made during their last meal together.

 

“Do you want to help? I can show you how.”

 

Her face lit up as she went to join him in the kitchen.

 

“You might want to take your jacket off. The sleeves could get in the way,” he pointed out.

 

To his surprise, she frowned at the suggestion and crossed her arms again as she said, “You won’t like what I have on underneath.”

 

His eyebrow raised, but he said, “You don’t have to be ashamed of anything, if that’s what you’re worried about. I know how that man treated you. None of it is your fault.”

 

Her face blushed red, obviously unconvinced. “It’s embarrassing.”

 

Ben thought for a moment, not wanting her excitement as the prospect of learning to cook to be taken away by something as simple as taking off her jacket. He suddenly found himself wishing he had done more to hurt Plutt but he knew any anger he showed at the situation would only be taken the wrong way by Rey. She would think he was angry at her, and that was the last thing he wanted.

 

“Tell you what. I’ll wait while you go change. The pajamas I laid out for you in the spare bedroom are still there. Tomorrow we can go shopping, but those will work for now,” he said after yet another moment of awkward silence passed between them.

 

Rey thought about it for a moment, then finally nodded reluctantly. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”

 

She left for the spare bedroom. Ben took the opportunity to take out a frying pan and a medium-sized pot for the mashed potatoes. Then he stepped back and waited for Rey to rejoin him.

 

She emerged a couple minutes later wearing the black pajamas and looking wildly out of place. The grease on her face had been rubbed off and her hair was beginning to come out of the buns on the back of her head. Her arms were crossed over her chest again. After dinner Ben would tell her it was okay if she wanted to shower, but for now he wanted to keep his promise and show her how to cook.

 

“Now then, the first thing you’re going to want to do is…”

 

And they got to work. Ben told her to watch the hamburger patties on the frying pan while he started boiling some water for the potatoes. When it was time to flip the patties Ben got out a spatula and showed her carefully how to slip the spatula underneath the patty and flip the wrist quickly and timely to bring it back down without the hamburger grease flying everywhere.

 

“Now you flip the second one.” He handed her the spatula and smiled inwardly to himself as her eyes lit up.

 

“Okay.” She did as he had showed her, though her movements weren’t nearly as quick and practiced as his were. It took her a little longer to work the spatula underneath her hamburger patty, and when she flipped it over he saw bits of the patty that were still on the frying pan. She deflated a little at that before Ben reminded her that it was only her first time.

 

He looked around in the refrigerator for some slices of cheese, only to come up empty.

 

“Normally I would make a cheeseburger, but I’m out,” he explained. “Tomorrow I’ll take you grocery shopping. Not the best way to spend your second day, but…”

 

“That’s okay,” Rey quickly reassured him as she stirred the potatoes the way he’d shown her. “I’ve never been, so it sounds like fun.”

 

He marveled at that, then quickly neutralized his expression. He didn’t want her to feel more ashamed of her lack of life skills than she already did. “Great. It’s a date.”

 

Her eyes narrowed at the word ‘date’ and Ben wanted to slap himself for forgetting. He’d only meant it as a joke, but Rey was quite clearly taking her condition of no romance seriously. Judging from the suspicious look on her face, she hadn’t gotten the humor. But she didn’t say anything and he was more than happy to let it go.

 

As they finished up dinner, Ben got down two plates and helped Rey take the hamburgers off the frying pan and on to the buns he had waiting. He’d asked her preference of ketchup or mustard and when she said she didn’t know he put a little bit of both on, promising it tasted the best that way.

 

“Okay. Are the potatoes ready?”

 

He glanced at them, nodded, then told her she could scoop the potatoes on the plates if she wanted.

 

Rey was more than happy to oblige. She scooped generous portions onto both of their plates, then set the pot back on the burner, making sure it was off like Ben had told her. He smiled at her pleased expression, then told her to join him at his dining table.

 

He watched her as she took a bite of her hamburger. She couldn’t have looked happier in that moment. “Is it good?” he asked, though he already knew the answer.

 

She nodded vigorously as she said through a mouthful of food, “This is the best thing I’ve ever had.”

 

“Even better than the omelet?” he couldn’t help but ask.

 

She nodded. “That was good, but this…is amazing.” She swallowed, then took another large bite.

 

She felt the same way with the potatoes. He didn’t have the heart to point out that they were instant mashed and required no cooking skills. Anyone who could follow directions could cook instant mashed potatoes, but she was so proud of herself that kept his mouth shut.

 

He promised himself then and there that he would look up recipes for the two of them to tackle together. He would show her better things to cook than hamburgers and potatoes. Maybe, if he could come up with a convincing reason that wouldn’t make his mother suspicious, he could borrow some of the unused cookbooks she had lying around. It had always been a mystery to Ben why his mother had so many cookbooks when she rarely cooked. When his dad was home he did most of the cooking, and when he wasn’t she either went out or made simple things for herself.

 

When they were both done they took their plates to the kitchen. Ben put his in the sink and Rey did the same, though she turned the water on and looked as though she was about to clean up.

 

“You don’t have to do the dishes. I’ll do them in the morning.”

 

She frowned at him as she replied, “But I helped. I don’t mind doing them.”

 

Ben sighed and ran a hand through his thick black hair as he said, “You don’t have to do that, Rey. We can both do it in the morning. It’s not going anywhere.”

 

She didn’t look convinced, but relented anyway. He didn’t want to think about what she obviously would have done if this were the Plutts’ apartment. He suspected they made her clean up the aftermath of the dinner they cooked for themselves but didn’t allow her to be a part of. It was sick the cruelty some people were capable of.

 

She stopped by the door to the spare room, which Ben supposed he was going to have to start referring to as Rey’s room seeing as she lived there now. He hated how lost she looked. It was almost as though she were waiting for him to give her direction.

 

“Rey, this is your home now. You can do what you want without waiting for me to tell you what you can do,” he explained as gently as he could. He didn’t want her thinking that he was talking down to her.

 

She bit her lip, considering his words, then said just as gently, “I’d like to take a shower. If that’s okay.”

 

“Of course it is,” he said. “You don’t have to ask permission.”

 

She regarded him a moment longer before saying, “I don’t have a change of clothes.”

 

Ben thought about that, remembering that she hadn’t gone back to take anything with her. That obviously meant clothes of any kind.

 

Even underclothes.

 

His face must have shown when comprehension found him because she blushed so intensely that her face turned beet red.

 

“I have some boxers. Hopefully they can make do until we go shopping tomorrow. I’d ask my neighbor for help, but I seriously doubt you want to wear a stranger’s underwear.”

 

Rey grimaced at that before pointing out, “You’re giving me your boxers and I hardly know you.”

 

“Yeah, well, that’s different…” he said, trailing off at the amused expression on Rey’s face.

 

“I was joking. It’s fine. Seriously, I’m used to wearing stranger’s hand-me-downs.”

 

Not knowing how to reply to that, Ben went into his room to fish out a pair of boxers. Suddenly _he_ was the one blushing. He was about to give a girl his underwear. A girl he wasn’t even intimate with. If only his mother could see him now.

 

He gave her the boxers then watched her disappear into the bathroom. Once he heard the shower turn on he went into the spare room to change the sheets, but stopped when he saw the discarded pile of clothes in a pile on the floor by the closet.

 

There was a black rag full of holes lying on top of the jacket and pants. When he picked it up, he knew immediately this was why Rey had been too embarrassed to take off her jacket earlier. It had no doubt once been a black tank top, but it was so full of holes that it could only be called trash. The seam under one arm had been ripped nearly down the middle. It must have exposed her side all the way to her stomach. He was once again filled with rage as he stared at the clothes Rey had been forced to war. What kind of sick monster can wear all kinds of new and clean clothes yet forces his ward to wear rags?

 

He quickly put the clothes back where he found them and stormed into his bedroom. He picked up his phone and dialed the number before he could stop himself.

 

“Well, this is a nice surprise,” Phasma said by way of greeting. His earlier treatment of her seemed to have been forgotten.

 

“I need you to do me a favor,” Ben began and, doing his best to keep an even tone, explained what he wanted his neighbor to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our dear Ben has it bad! I'm proud of him for keeping his anger in check after everything he's seen. Next chapter should be up soon!


	9. Clothes and Outings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey's reaction to getting new clothes isn't quite what Ben has in mind.

_Chapter Nine_

When Rey shuffled her way into the living room the next morning, still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she didn’t immediately notice the strange woman sitting on the couch. Her large legs were crossed and she leaned back in her seat, casually reading a magazine as though she had every right to be there. There were several bags at her feet, though Rey hardly registered them as she kept her suspicious gaze fixed firmly on the woman who had yet to notice her.

 

She was about to say something to the large blond woman, but another voice cut in before she had the chance.

 

“Ah, Rey,” Ben said by way of greeting as he walked past her to stand by the couch the woman occupied. “I see you’ve met my neighbor Phasma. Phasma, this is Rey.”

 

The woman, Phasma, closed her magazine and stood up. Both she and Ben stood together facing Rey, who felt suddenly ganged up on. She didn’t like their attention fixed so directly on her. It made her think quite unwillingly about Unkar Plutt and all the people he threatened to bring over for her if she didn’t “fall in line.”

 

Her thoughts must’ve echoed on her face, because Ben was quick to explain, “Phasma lives a few units down from here. We’ve been friends for a while, and I called her last night to ask for a favor.”

 

“What kind of favor?” Rey asked skeptically.

 

“Well, since you didn’t bring anything from…” he trailed off, regarding Phasma thoughtfully, then continued carefully, “from that place, I gave her a call and asked her to pick up a few things.”

 

Rey watched as Phasma bent down to retrieve the bags at the foot of the couch. “I guessed on the sizes, so hopefully they’ll work.”

 

She gestured for Rey to take the bags. After a brief hesitation, she accepted them, though she was far from reassured. She didn’t know if Ben did this out of pity or genuine sense of caring. Either way, she knew she needed new clothes. She couldn’t very well go around in the ratty jacket and pants that would be better thrown away than worn.

 

“Thanks,” she mumbled, casting her gaze to the ground. If Phasma did this out of pity she didn’t want to see it reflected in her eyes.

 

“It was no trouble,” the other woman replied, though Rey detected something in her tone. Was it disappointment? Annoyance? Rey wasn’t sure, and didn’t think she wanted to know. “I’m happy to do my neighborly duty and help out.”

 

“Yeah, thanks, Phasma,” Ben put in dryly. “You’ve been a huge help. And I’m sure you’ve got plenty of other things on your plate than to hang around here.”

 

Rey lifted her gaze to see Phasma nod. “As a matter of fact, I do. I need to get to the gym for my class. I’ll see you around.” She then turned her attention to Rey and gave her one last cursory glance. “It was nice to meet you, Rey. I’m sure we’ll see each other around as well.”

 

Rey nodded and remained silent as Phasma made her exit. The moment the door closed behind her, Rey rounded on Ben.

 

“You told her to buy me clothes?”

 

“Well, yeah. You needed them.”

 

“But I can’t pay her back for them! She doesn’t know what I like, or my size, as she already pointed out! What if they’re terrible, or I can’t wear them?”

 

Ben looked taken aback by her abruptness, though his gaze hardened as he replied, “It’s fashion, Rey, not rocket science! If they don’t fit I’ll tell Phasma to return them. If you don’t like them, we can always exchange them for stuff you do like. At least try some of it on so that we know. Christ, if I had known it was going to be this big of a deal I would’ve waited. I just thought you might want to have some new things before you step outside this apartment.”

 

Rey glared at him, hating that he had a point. She wouldn’t have wanted to go shopping in the ratty things she had before, but she also would have liked to have some input in what _she_ wore. She didn’t want Ben’s or Phasma’s charity, any more than she already had it. She didn’t want to feel like a project.

But she didn’t say any of that to Ben. He thought he did the right thing. She didn’t want him to regret taking her in. If she started complaining about the help he gave, would he kick her out? She didn’t want to become difficult.

 

“Yeah, okay. Thanks. I’ll go try it on.”

 

Feeling properly chastised, Rey picked up the shopping bags and brought them into her room, refraining from slamming the door behind her.

 

* * *

 

 

Ben rubbed his temples after Rey disappeared inside her room. It was looking to be a long morning, and he had yet to fix any coffee. If he had been thinking clearly he would have made some when he let Phasma in, but he’d, foolishly as it turned out, thought his roommate would sleep later than she had and that he would have more time.

 

The news that he’d had Phasma go shopping for her had not gone over well. Though she’d tried to hide it, Ben knew that Rey was annoyed, though for the life of him he couldn’t figure out why. Did she really want to keep those rags the Plutts had forced her to wear? Was she just so used to them that it no longer bothered her to look like a street urchin? Phasma certainly hadn’t thought she would react any other way than grateful, so Ben had assumed it wouldn’t be a big deal.

 

He went into the kitchen to brew a cup of coffee. As he pulled out a k-cup of Starbucks dark roast and inserted it into his Keurig machine, he thought on why Rey hadn’t taken the news well. Nothing he came up with made any sense. If it were him, he would be grateful for something new, no matter where it came from. He would thank the person who had helped him instead of tossing around reason after reason why it shouldn’t have happened. He’d only wanted to help. Couldn’t she see that? Did it make him a bad person?

 

It simply boiled down to pride. Rey was proving to be a prideful person. It was becoming clearer to him with every passing day she stayed with him that she didn’t like the handouts she was being offered, or at least didn’t appreciate them. Had Ben made a mistake in offering her a place to stay? He didn’t know what alternative there was, other than staying at the homeless shelter. Could she really not see that?

 

Ben had just started brewing a cup of coffee for Rey when she emerged from her room wearing a plain blue t-shirt and blue skinny jeans. He turned to look at her and nodded in appreciation at the sight of the clean clothes. They looked like they fit, but he wasn’t about to say that without hearing Rey’s opinion first. He needed to know where the waters lay.

 

“Some of the dresses will have to go. They’re a bit too flashy for my taste, but most of the shirts and pants fit,” Rey admitted. “Your neighbor did a good job.”

 

Ben nodded, relieved, and walked over to her with both cups of coffee in hand. He gave one to her as he said, “She’ll be pleased to hear it. And you don’t have to worry about paying her back. We’ve all been in tight spots before. Think of it as a friend doing a favor for another friend.”

 

Rey smiled for the first time that morning as she took a sip of coffee. “Okay.”

 

The pair went to sit on the sofa, coffee cups still in hand. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before Ben finally spoke. “So I was thinking that today we could go grocery shopping like I suggested last night, but before we do that we could go out for breakfast. Does that sound like something you would like?”

 

Judging from the way her eyes lit up and the smile she was trying very hard not to let spread across her face, Ben figured it was something she would like very much. But he let her tell him because he no longer wanted to assume anything about her. He was going to let her lead the way in terms of any decisions being made on her behalf.

 

“That sounds fun! I’ve never been to a restaurant before!”

 

The shock at hearing this was hard to mask, but Ben thought he did a good job of remaining neutral as he said, “Then I’m happy to be the first person to take you. I’ll brush my teeth, then we can go.”

 

Once they were both ready, Ben led the way to the parking lot and into his car. He asked her what she was in the mood for, and she replied that she was up for anything. So he took her to a breakfast café he was quite partial to called The Good Egg, hoping she would take to it as he had.

 

He pulled into a spot close to the door then led her inside, where they were promptly escorted to a booth close to the back of the restaurant.

 

When their waitress came over, Ben ordered a coffee while Rey ordered lemonade. They looked over the menu in silence, though Ben was tempted to point out a few of his favorites. He bit his lip and kept his suggestions to himself. Rey had made it clear enough that she wanted to make her own decisions, so that was what he would do.

 

“Are you two ready, or do you need some more time?” The waitress asked when she returned with their drinks.

 

Rey said she was ready. “I’ll have the eggs benedict, please.”

  
“That’s a great choice! It’s one of my favorites,” the waitress said cheerfully as she wrote the order down. Rey beamed, looking pleased with herself.

 

“I’ll do the traditional with scrambled eggs and bacon,” Ben said when it was his turn.

 

When the waitress left to put in their order, Rey took a sip of her lemonade, then gushed, “This is the best drink I have ever had!”

 

Ben smiled as he took a sip of his coffee. “It is fantastic. This was one of my favorite places to eat as a kid. Sometimes my parents would take me if they both could find the time on weekends.”

 

“I can see why. If the food is as good as that lemonade, I’ll come here everyday if I can afford it,” Rey replied as she gazed around the cozy restaurant. It was quiet despite it being relatively busy. As waiters and waitresses passed by their table carrying plates of food, Rey would glance at them in obvious interest.

 

“Maybe we can come once a week if you like it. It can become a Saturday morning tradition.”

 

Rey smiled at that. “I’d like that.”

 

Their food arrived a few minutes later. After reassuring the waitress that they were fine and didn’t need anything else, they dug in, Rey with particular relish.

 

Ben watched her take a bite of her eggs benedict and was rewarded with one of the brightest smiles he’d seen from her so far. “We need to come here twice a week if it means I can have more of this!”

 

He laughed as she continued eating with an enthusiasm he hadn’t had since childhood, barely swallowing before putting more in her mouth. “I don’t know about that. There are plenty of other places to try. Plus so many recipes we can cook at home. The options are endless.”

 

Rey was quick to declare that nothing would top what she was currently eating. Ben let her win the faux argument, silently telling himself she would feel differently once he broadened her horizons even further.

 

After they finished and Ben paid, they got back in the car and headed for the grocery store.

 

Once they parked and went inside, Ben could tell she wasn’t nearly as impressed with this as she had been with the restaurant, but she still looked around with interest and pointed out all the things she wanted to try. It was clear as they went down aisle after aisle that she had been denied all the options that she now had at her disposal, and now that she was confronted with everything it was almost overwhelming.

 

Ben vowed to do everything in his power to change that as quickly as possible.

 

“Why don’t you point out some of the cereals you want,” Ben suggested when they went down the cereal aisle. “As much as I would like to, we can’t eat out everyday. I’d go broke.”

 

“Okay. But I still want to learn how to cook some of the things I saw on the menu. Cereal just doesn’t feel the same,” Rey said glumly as she tossed in boxes of Cheerios, Fruit Loops, and Frosted Flakes.

 

Ben simply shrugged as he moved on to the next aisle. “There will be days when you don’t want to fix anything. That’s what the cereal is for. Trust me on that.”

 

By the time Ben steered their full cart to the nearest checkout stand, it felt like hours had passed. Ben could honestly admit that he was tired, and that he had never spent so much on groceries as he was about to. Rey had wanted a little bit of what felt like everything, and he didn’t have the heart to deny her. She had been denied anything she wanted for her entire life. Ben figured he was helping her to make up for lost time.

 

Ten minutes and two hundred dollars later, Ben and Rey finally made their way out of the grocery store. After they loaded the groceries into the now packed trunk, Ben sat down, feeling more tired than when he’d woken up that morning. But it was all worth it to see the happiness on Rey’s face as she stared out the window.

 

He wondered what it would be like to be deprived of simple things like eating out and grocery shopping for so long. He found that he couldn’t. Those things had been a part of his life for as long as he could remember. They had become second nature to him that he rarely even thought about them anymore. Sometimes the prospect of going to the grocery store was so tedious and daunting that he skipped it. He’d always managed to get by.

 

Rey had never had that luxury, and that was heartbreaking. He found himself wondering what it must have been like for her to live with Unkar Plutt and his jackass of a son, doing all those mundane things without her, right under her nose. It made Ben want to punch something. How could they do that to a young girl who depended on them to take care of her? It pissed him off that there was nothing he could do about it now. She had slipped underneath the radar of social services for so long that reporting it now wouldn’t make any difference. She wasn’t even a minor anymore. Any accusations of child abuse would be thrown out before it could get to court because Ben didn’t have any proof. Even if Rey decided one day to file charges, they likely wouldn’t stick because of the statute of limitations. They would get away with it, and there was nothing Ben, Rey, or anyone else could do about it.

 

Even if he wanted to ask his mother about it, she would want to know why he was asking, and that would mean telling her about Rey. He knew no one was ready for that, least of all Rey. He knew his mother would fuss and obsess, and it would only chase Rey away. She wasn’t ready to support herself yet, and if she left it would only be to end up on the streets. Ben refused to be the cause of that.

 

For now all he could do was introduce her to the things that she had been deprived of. As he continued the drive home, he made a mental note of all the things he wanted to show Rey. He would take her to a movie, to the library, to a museum, baseball game, bowling alley, skating rink. Soon there wouldn’t be anything she hadn’t tried yet, and she would no longer feel as though she missed out.

 

Soon she would feel as though eating out and shopping for groceries were the most mundane activities in her life. Ben would make sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Good Egg seriously had the best food. Sadly they were bought out by another company, but Rey's reaction to the eggs benedict is not overly-exaggerated, I assure you! Also, this may be a slow burn, but anything rewarding happens in good time! Rey is simply not in the right frame of mind to think about romance of any sort.


	10. Comfort and Reassurance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben helps Rey through her anxiety. Rey is determined to take charge of her future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say? I'm a terrible human being for making you all wait so long (assuming anyone is still interested in my angst-filled story). 
> 
> Not gonna lie, this chapter is angsty. Rey's insecurities hit boiling point, but things should lighten up in the coming chapters. There WILL be more, I promise. Hopefully the wait will not be as long next time. 
> 
> Anyway, enough from me. Thanks everyone for reading!

_Chapter Ten_

The next morning found Rey pacing the length of her bedroom in her new fuzzy slipper socks. They were, quite possibly, the most comfortable things she’d ever worn, but at that moment were the furthest things from her mind. She was unsettled, and she had no idea why.

 

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. All her life she had been busy. There had never been such a thing as idling and down time. The few moments she took for herself involved sleep and going to the bathroom, and neither of those things had lasted for long. When she wasn’t busy, she wasn’t pulling her weight, and that was usually when the threats began.

 

So far Ben had not asked anything from her in return for all the kindness he had bestowed. She found herself constantly anticipating when he would start to suggest that she pull her own weight and was always suspicious when, with each passing day, he hadn’t. In fact, he was constantly reassuring her that he did not expect anything from her in return for all the trips to restaurants, grocery stores, and fun activities he seemed determined to fill her days with. Not that she was complaining. So far her favorite had been the trip to the movie theater when he took her to see the latest sci-fi blockbuster. She’d never been out to a movie so she hadn’t known what her preferences were, and had been surprised when she found herself riveted by all the space battles and high-tech weapons fights. She’d even prolonged going to the bathroom after chugging the large soda Ben bought for her, too enamored with the final battle at the end. Rey definitely had not been lying when she excitedly told him later that that had been the best day of her life.

 

She inwardly beamed inside when Ben’s grin split from ear to ear.

 

Now, though, she was worried. She was worried that he was finally starting to tire of having to spend his days entertaining her and keeping her company. Didn’t he have better things to do? Rey knew he was a senator’s son, but didn’t he have a job? How was he keeping his apartment if he didn’t work? Even Unkar Plutt, the laziest and most selfish man Rey had ever met, held down a day job to keep his dump of a home.

 

The apartment was quiet when Rey finally worked up the nerve to venture out of her room and into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. After endless reassurances from Ben that because this was now her home she didn’t have to ask for permission to fix herself anything, she’d finally felt comfortable enough to believe him and had started to do things for herself that she would never have dared to do if she were back with Unkar and Atkin. It seemed so simple now, but back then even fixing herself a cup of coffee would have been enough for a beating.

 

She shuddered at the unbidden memories that raced through her mind and immediately took a scalding sip of coffee to chase them away. It would do her no good to dwell on a past she could never change.

 

Ben emerged from his bedroom one hour and two reruns of _The Big Bang Theory_ later. She looked up at him shyly as he passed her to go to the kitchen to make his own cup of coffee. Afterwards he joined her on the sofa, and both were content to finish the third episode of the sitcom in companionable silence.

 

When it was over Ben was the first to break the silence. “So, what did you want to do today? Do you want to try your hand at breakfast or would you rather go out?”

 

Rey had pondered that question while watching TV, but what came out of her mouth was not the answer she had decided upon. “Don’t you have a job? Or something you need to get back to?”

 

Unsurprisingly, Ben looked taken aback by the abrupt change of topic. For a moment all either of them did was stare at each other. Rey was immediately filled with regret and a little bit of shame at sounding so ungrateful, but it was too late to take back her words. All she could do was hold her ground and hope like hell that he didn’t decide to kick her out.

 

It felt like hours before Ben replied. Rey winced as he shot to his feet and towered over her. She closed her eyes and braced herself, waiting for his fist to collide with her flesh, but when the blow didn’t come she opened her eyes and found Ben’s gaze filled with hurt.

 

“I had hoped we’d established by now that I would never hurt you.”

 

Rey felt her face flush with embarrassment, but did not respond.

 

“I had also hoped you knew by now that I wouldn’t be spending my time with you if I didn’t want to. And as for me having a job…” he paused as though considering his words, then sat back down on the sofa beside her. “You probably already know that I come from money. It’s never been an issue, which is why I can hold down this apartment without having to work and take care of you at the same time.”

 

Ben’s words, though unintended, hit her right where it hurt. “That’s not what this is! I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself!”

 

This time it was Rey’s turn to stand from the couch. She began pacing again, acutely aware of Ben’s penetrating gaze on her.

 

“Rey, I never said you weren’t—“

 

“How long are we going to do this?” Rey interrupted, her voice only an octave or so from shouting. “How long until you get tired of having me here? How long before I overstay my welcome?”

 

“I thought I said—“

 

“How long before you realize I’m eating you out of house and home and am a burden on your social life? You can’t expect me to stay here for nothing. Life doesn’t work like that! No one’s that generous!”

 

“Rey, would you let me—“

 

 _“I’m not worth it!”_ Now her voice had reached breaking point. She was sure the neighbors could hear, but it didn’t matter anymore. Ben would surely kick her out after this. _“Can’t you understand that I’m not worth it?”_

Ben’s arms were around her before she realized it. She was sobbing, gasping for breath, and Ben’s muscular arms were around her chest, constricting, and she had to get out, get _away…_

 

“Shh,” Ben crooned in her ear, tightening his hold on her as she fought and struggled to get away. “It’s okay.”

 

But it wasn’t, everything _wasn’t_ okay, had never been okay, didn’t he see that? She was nothing but a burden, and now she was making a fool of herself, who would want her after this, Ben was sure to kick her out and she had nowhere to go, why was it so hard to breathe, oh god she was going to pass out…

 

“Walk with me, Rey. I’ve got you.” It was like hearing a voice at the end of a long, narrow tunnel. She was only vaguely aware of being led somewhere, maybe the sofa, but she was too worked up to really notice. She held on to Ben’s voice in her ear as he continued to whisper reassurances.

 

“That’s it, Rey. Breathe with me. Feel my breaths and match mine.”

 

Rey held on to his words like the lifeline they were and matched her breathing with Ben’s. She made herself focus only on breathing and several minutes and listened to Ben’s voice, even if she wasn’t paying attention to the particular words. Somehow she found his voice comforting and so she listened intently and let it wrap around her heart the same way his arms were wrapped around her chest. Let them both comfort her and bring back the sense of safety she’d only felt in this apartment.

 

By the time Rey’s breathing had slowed and she’d stopped hyperventilating, she felt utterly drained. At the moment she wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and let sleep temporarily take her away. But the realizations that Ben’s arms were still wrapped around her and she was still pinned gently to his chest kept that from happening. It came as a surprise to find that she didn’t mind. She felt safe, and she didn’t want that feeling to go away.

 

She was disappointed when Ben’s voice interrupted the silence around them once her sobs had dissipated. “Are you feeling better now?”

 

Unexpectedly, tears sprang to her eyes at the question posed to her. She forced herself out of Ben’s hold, but didn’t get up from the sofa. Instead she scooted away from him and tried to hide her face so he wouldn’t notice, but she knew that was a losing battle.

 

The truth was that, outside of Ben and occasionally the lady at the shelter, no one had inquired about her well-being. She’d never mattered to anyone before, and it was a strange and unfamiliar experience. And to have to admit it to a senator’s son, who had been fawned over and pampered his whole life, well…it only served to make her feel even lower than she already was.

 

“I’m fine,” Rey managed to gasp out after another moment of tense silence. “I’m sorry to be such a bother.”

 

She heard Ben sigh from beside her but she didn’t dare look up at him to see if he was getting angry or impatient. So far he hadn’t directed any unpleasant emotions her way but she knew if she continued to carry on like this that it would only be a matter of time.

 

“You’re not a bother.”

 

His tone brokered no argument, not that Rey was going to give him one. He did, however, seem to wait for some kind of response from her, but she didn’t know what else to say that hadn’t already been said. So she kept her gaze focused on her lap, determined not to give away any more of her insecurities.

 

“Rey, would you please look at me?”

 

This time it was her turn to sigh, but she did as he asked and was startled to find his face was full of compassion and something else. It wasn’t pity. Rey was relieved not to see pity in his large brown eyes. Maybe desperation? Longing? Whatever it was, it was completely foreign to her. No one had ever looked at her with anything other than contempt and disgust.

 

“You’re not a bother. You’re not a burden. And I’m going to keep saying it until you believe it. I know it’s probably strange to hear, but most people in this world aren’t like the Plutts. I’ll admit that I haven’t always been the most caring person, but I’m not a monster like the people you’ve been surrounded by your entire life. I won’t dangle common decency in front of you and then snatch it away. I’m doing this because I want to, and because you deserve it. It’s really as simple as that. I don’t expect _anything_ from you.”

 

Rey felt tears leak down her cheeks as she listened to Ben reassure her. She honestly didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t given her any reason to doubt him, but her past wasn’t so easy to overcome. She could only hope he understood that.

 

“Can I ask what brought all this on?” Ben asked gently, almost tentatively. He probably expected her to have another anxiety attack if he pried too much. Rey hated that now he probably thought he needed to walk on eggshells around her.

 

She sighed let her gaze fall to her lap again. “Please don’t think I’m ungrateful, because I’m not. I just…I’m not used to this.”

 

Thankful that he didn’t ask what she wasn’t used to, she continued. “I’ve had to take care of myself for so long that to let someone else do it is a big leap of faith that I wasn’t ready for. I’m still not comfortable with it,” she admitted, hating how small her voice sounded to her ears, “but I’m working on it. I promise.”

 

Ben’s index finger found the underside of her chin and gently brought her head up so that she was forced to look into his gaze. “I know you are. I know the amount of trust you’re placing in me, especially with everything you’ve gone through, is huge. You don’t have anything to prove, Rey. I do. I’m going to prove that I’m worthy of your trust. And if I do something that makes you uncomfortable, please tell me. I don’t want you having any more panic attacks over something I think can be prevented. Can you do that for me? That’s the _one_ thing I am going to ask of you. Okay?”

 

Rey nodded, and Ben’s hand fell back to his lap. “Okay.”

 

“Good.” Ben smiled warmly at her, and Rey returned it with a close-lipped one of her own. “Now that the air’s cleared up, you still haven’t answered my question. Did you want to fix breakfast? Or go out? Today’s your day.”

 

Rey didn’t bother to point out that the past couple of days had been her day. There was one thing she wanted to do, but hadn’t had the courage to voice her desire to Ben. But after causing a scene, she figured there wasn’t much point in keeping it from him.

 

“There is one thing I want to do.”

 

Ben didn’t press her when she hesitated, giving her the time she needed to say it on her own. Rey fidgeted with her hands in her lap as she thought about how best to phrase it.

 

“Do you remember when you mentioned college?”

 

The corners of Ben’s lips twitched, but he nodded and let her continue. “I think I want to take some classes. Just basic ones until I know what I want to do.” She rushed the last few words, sounding self-conscious as she tried to justify her desire to her new roommate. “But I know college costs money, so…”

 

She left her sentence unfinished and brought her gaze back to lap, embarrassed again at the reminder of her unfortunate past.

 

“I think going to college is a great idea,” Ben said firmly, bringing Rey’s attention back to him. “I apologize if this is going to sound too demeaning or personal, but you did get your high school diploma, right?”

 

This time Rey’s smile was genuine as she nodded. “Unkar didn’t want anyone asking questions, so I was allowed to go to school to keep up appearances in case anyone who came into the shop asked about me. But he drew the line at college. He said he needed me at the shop and fixing things didn’t require a degree.”

 

Rey caught Ben’s fingers twitch and the darkness that temporarily clouded his features but chose to ignore it. “Is there a college close by? Would it be possible to go today to see what I need to do to get started?”

 

Now that the prospect of going back to school was so close, Rey could feel the excitement and anticipation build up inside her. “I can take you once we get dressed. There’s a community college on the other side of town we could set you up with. You can take the basic classes there while you think about what you want to major in. Is there something you’ve thought about doing?”

 

Rey thought about it, and realized that she didn’t know. Ben seemed to notice her spirits sink a little, because he put in quickly, “Never mind. That’s what community college is for. Deciding what you want to do. Now let’s get dressed and get down there to avoid the lines.”

 

Rey smiled gratefully at his retreating form as she took both of their coffee cups to the kitchen and placed them in the sink. Despite being told countless times throughout her life that no one would ever care about her, here was a man who, so far at least, was proving the Plutts wrong. She didn’t know what she did to deserve him, but she vowed to live up to his expectations. He was proving himself to be a very different man from the man she’d first seen him to be in that alley so many nights ago.

 

She was determined that there would be no more panic attacks. She would get signed up for some college classes, turn her life around, and then she’d never have to think about Unkar and Atkin Plutt and her painful past ever again.

 

This was the turning point she needed. And so she hurried into her room, got dressed in one of the new t-shirts and jeans that Phasma had bought for her, then met Ben back in the living room. She didn’t think she’d ever been as excited for anything as she was at that moment. She finally felt in control of her future.

 

She was determined that nothing, and no one, would take that away from her.


End file.
